


Us and Them

by ArtanisNaanie



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Bobby Singer, Alpha Charlie Bradbury, Alpha Dean Winchester, Alpha Michael (Supernatural), Alpha Sam Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beta Gabriel, Blood and Violence, Charlie is my queen, Diplomacy just goes so far, Full Shift Werewolves, Gay Sex, Jealous Castiel, M/M, Minor Character Death, Omega Castiel (Supernatural), Omega Castiel/Alpha Dean Winchester, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Pack Dynamics, Scent Kink, Sex, True Mates, Whale sounds, Wolves fight, Yuletide, do you really need the specifics about the gay sex, if you do please tell me and I'll add them, injuries, obviously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:39:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 84,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23980201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtanisNaanie/pseuds/ArtanisNaanie
Summary: It all started at the annual meeting between the packs of the region. Threats were made, mates were found, and things were going to change forever.Dean is an Alpha, Castiel is an Omega, and they find each other in complicated times.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Other pairings are mentioned - Relationship
Comments: 89
Kudos: 156
Collections: The Destiel Fan Survey Favs Collection





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> That's my first work in the Supernatural fandom and I hope you'll like it.  
> Nothing would have happened without the encouragement, corrections, editing and everything from the amazing Crushed, who is a very patient friend and an incredible supporter, so thank you very, very much. I'm so happy we've found each other.
> 
> English is not my first language and if despite the editing work something doesn't sound right I'm sorry.
> 
> Summaries are bitches and I hate them, so I'll probably change it four times before I settle on something that doesn't make me cry.
> 
> This is a WIP that already has 60k written and I hope to upload it once a week. It's going to be a long ride.
> 
> Thanks for every hit, kudos, comment or bookmark, they make my heart soar.
> 
> The title is inspired by a [Pink Floyd](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDbeqj-1XOo) song.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Helloo Bobby, who's the tall, handsome, and scared wolf? He makes for a cuter sight than Rufus, that's for sure!”

“C’mon, princess, dress up. We’re leavin' in fifteen.”

A groan answered Bobby from the other side of the bedroom door. Damn idjit knew they were going to the biannual pack meeting on the Novaks’ grounds today, but he still couldn't be bothered to wake up on time.

Sometimes -well, most of the time- Bobby almost regretted his choice to make the younger Alpha his second after Rufus had quit, yelling that he was too old for this shit. Which was true, of course, the wolf was older than Bobby, who wasn't getting any younger either.

Bobby went downstairs to the kitchen where Ellen was making breakfast. Sam was reading -shocker- and Jo was pretending to help her mother. This, right here, was the heart of his pack: his mate, adopted daughter, and adopted sons. The others were pack, but they weren't family.

“Dean was still sleeping, so we're gonna head out in thirty instead of fifteen.”

Ellen nodded, vaguely indicating a plate of food and a cup of coffee that were waiting for the Alpha. Bobby sat down to eat while going down his mental list of things he needed before heading to Michael's home, the leader of the Novak pack, for the meeting.

Change of clothes: check.

Pack documents and maps: check.

Bobby remembered how Sam had tried to convince the Alpha to convert his shit into a digital format. _“You have a tablet, Bobby, why don't you use it? I swear I’ll put all our pack stuff into the cloud for you, that way you can access it anywhere you are instead of having to carry around twenty pounds of paper. Do you ever stop to think about the forests, Bobby?”_ Sam had droned on, but the Alpha had remained unconvinced. Paper was good. Paper was what he knew. And they were traveling in his truck, so who cared about the weight?

His tranq gun: check, even if it wasn’t such a cool move to bring a weapon to a pack meeting. But after what happened last time, it was perfectly reasonable.

His second: still missing.

“DEAN, FOR FUCKS SAKE!” Bobby yelled towards the stairs.

“Comin', comin'! Hello everyone, how are you this beautiful – OUCH!” Dean yelped as Bobby withdrew his hand from the back of Dean's head.

“Shut up, idjit, and hurry and eat. You can braid your hair in the car.” Bobby said gruffly.

“What? No, Bobby, I'm driving. We're taking Baby so -”

“We're taking the truck.” Bobby interrupted. “It's charged already, which you would’ve known if you'd woken up at the right goddamn hour. And I'm driving, so shut up.” Dean glared but relented.

Fifteen minutes later they were on the road.

\---

“I will NOT wear blockers, Michael!” Castiel cried loudly at his brother. After two days, the argument was still going strong, and Michael wouldn't budge.

“Yes, Castiel, you will. I'm not receiving a dozen Alphas into this house without you wearing blockers. I don't trust them. Well, not all of them. Cancel that, I don't trust any of them. So, as your brother, and your Alpha, I order you to wear blockers and, please, _please_ little brother, don't make me force you.”

Castiel was fuming. The idea to conceal who he was in his own home was very upsetting for the Omega. He wasn’t a wilting flower, he was a six-foot man, _damn it_ , and had already lived in the city for four years during college without any incidents. His wolf was strong and perfectly capable of defending himself against a handful of entitled Alphas.

He could see his brother’s point, of course. Pack meetings were always a high-risk endeavor; the right use of manners and diplomacy was the only thing that prevented the meetings from transforming into declarations of war, and even with the utmost care the outcome was never guaranteed.

Castiel knew that an unmated Omega scent could be distracting at best, and dangerous at worst. But after wearing blockers throughout college, he wasn’t keen on using them again. The product not only dampened his scent, it prevented him from detecting others’ scents, and that was maybe the worst part. He was practically a Beta when wearing blockers, with muted scent and sense, and his sense of smell was one of the favorite parts of being an Omega. His nose was sharp, as most Omega were, and he believed he could help Michael in his meeting by sensing the intentions of the other Alphas.

“But, Michael, I could help with the meeting.”

“Anna will be there for that if needed, Castiel, and we’ll talk about everything after the meetings, as usual. You know I'm not doing this because I like it, little brother. I'm doing it because I care about you, and even if I know you can defend yourself against one or two wolves, we’re talking about ten here. I can't, I just can't allow you this.” Michael said with regret.

Michael was a good Alpha for the Novak pack. In the ten years of his rule the pack was blooming, the business was good, and the people were happy. The start was rough when his brother Lucifer challenged his command. Michael had exerted his authority, however, without much fuss and banned his brother without regrets. He was very protective of his pack and his family, which was a very good Alpha quality to have, but was now the core of Castiel's problem at the moment.

Castiel knew he was a lucky Omega. He knew of packs where Omegas were considered to be at the bottom of society, old fashioned packs where people of his station were no more than breeders and housemaids. The Novak pack wasn’t like that, though. Omegas were encouraged to study, to wait before mating, and to have independent lives. As the youngest brother of the Novak family, Castiel was trained in pack responsibilities as much as his Beta brother Gabriel, and his Omega sister-in-law Anna. He was encouraged to speak his mind, and in his twenty-two years the other Alphas had never used their authority over him to make him do something against his will. He knew, therefore, that his brother felt strongly about him wearing blockers if he was resorting to ordering him to obey.

He relented.

“I'll wear them, Michael. _But_ I'm not leaving my home, and I'm not hiding in my room all day like a damsel in distress. I won’t participate in meetings, but I am using the kitchen if I'm hungry, and I'm going to go running if I feel like it, _and_ I'm going to continue to use this house like it’s mine, because _it is_.” Castiel declared.

“Fine. We have a deal. Now go, they should be here any moment now.”

\---

Michael sighed, watching Castiel leave in the direction of his room. His strong-willed brother was a very motivated young man, stubborn and fierce, but sometimes he forgot who he was in society.

Michael knew very well that not all the wolves that were to be at the meeting had the same views on Omegas as he did. The Heavenson pack was full of religious zealots who thought Omegas were little more than cattle, good for breeding and shutting up, for example.

Six packs, six Alphas, and their seconds (most of which were Alpha themselves) were about to all be in one house with an unmated Omega. The odds were not in Castiel’s favor, so it was imperative that Michael protect him.

“Mike, Bobby's here!” came a voice, interrupting Michael’s thoughts.

“Gabriel please, please don't call me Mike in front of the others!” Michael answered, voice pleading.

Gabriel appeared, shrugging. Gabriel was a Beta, and Michael’s second, which could be considered unusual enough, but on top of that, he was also a prankster and an overgrown kid, which sometimes made matters worse. Most of the wolves in their pack didn’t take him seriously, and Michael’s choice to name him as his second had raised questions. But people didn't know Gabriel as he did.

Gabriel was smart, quick, tactical, and courageous. He had an impressive talent of considering all the consequences quickly, before facing them head-on. The eternal presence of a lollipop in his mouth didn’t keep him from being dangerous if provoked, and it certainly didn’t keep him from speaking his mind. He was a very good second, surprisingly level-headed and calm when Michael was harsh, pushy when Michael was doubtful, and he always had the pack's interests in mind.

“So, talk to Cassie?“ Gabriel asked, extracting a candy from his pants pocket.

“Yes, we came to an understanding. He's wearing blockers, but he's not going to stay in his room.” Michael answered, with a long-suffering sigh.

“Better than what I thought, so... good job Alpha!” Gabriel patted his shoulder briefly, before walking to the front door. The first guests were arriving.

\---

Dean slept during the drive to the Novak’s home. The Doctor Sexy marathon the previous night was currently biting him in the ass, and he was starting to think that maybe he should’ve gone to bed a bit earlier than four in the morning. But nobody needed to know that, especially Bobby, so he kept his mouth shut and took advantage of the two-hour drive.

When he came to, Bobby was speaking.

“So, boy, first of all, don't embarrass me. Stay behind me, speak only if talked to, and don't challenge anyone. We’re not looking for a fight, even if the testosterone will be runnin' high. Shut ya trap and let me do the talkin'. We clear?”

“Wha-? Oh, yeah, sure old man.” Dean replied with a smirk. He rubbed his eyes, then straightened his hair with his fingers, glancing outside his window as a gigantic mansion, with proper gardens, came into view. He felt his palms suddenly get sweaty, so he wiped them on his jeans.

“Da fuck, Bobby, are the Novaks royalty or something?” His previous cockiness now gone.

Bobby snorted. “Or something, idjit. Get out.”

This was the first time Dean had attended the annual packs’ meeting as Bobby's second, and he was nervous. The meetings occurred every two years just before winter and were meant to be a way for the packs to get to know each other, and hopefully, find ways to continue to live together peacefully. Bobby and Rufus had assured Dean that these meetings were usually boring, and mostly consisted of discussions on borders, treaties, and other relevant changes within the packs. Now that Dean was here though, finally attending a meeting instead of just hearing about it afterward, he was a lot more intimidated than he thought he would be, questioning whether he had earned this responsibility.

Besides, Dean also knew the meetings weren’t always a quiet affair. Two years prior it took eight wolves to separate Samuel Campbell from Naomi Heavenson, for some stupid matter regarding passage rights. Bobby said it had been hilarious at the time, but he was coming armed now nonetheless. _“I ain't stupid, kid, an' I ain't young enough anymore to manage two enraged Alphas with just my fangs.”_

Novak's property wasn’t helping Dean’s feeling of inadequacy either, especially since it looked like the Novaks were incredibly rich and important, and Dean had grown up with nothing.

Dean had been in Bobby's pack since he was sixteen years old and had just presented as an Alpha. Eight years ago, after a decade of wandering, his father John Winchester had knocked on Bobby's door and the pack Alpha was nice enough to take them in. John, Dean, and Sam became official pack members shortly after that, and Bobby and Ellen had taken a special interest in the boys. Ten years with a lone wolf wasn’t the best for educating young weres, and it had shown. While the boys had attended school here and there in their early years of traveling with John, they were never taught how to interact within a pack. John was useless in that regard, as he had never learned it himself, and probably never would.

Sam had presented as Alpha as well, and he and Dean soon learned through Bobby how to control their wolf, and to consider the needs of the pack before their own. They even learned non-pack related skills, like how to repair cars and build cabins. Through Bobby and Ellen’s examples, they also learned how to be useful and kind, another thing John could never teach them.

Even though he had come a long way since the moment Bobby had first taken them in, it still had been a big surprise to Dean when Bobby named him his second after Rufus’s retirement. John had already been out of the picture by that point, and Dean and Sam were grateful to Bobby for keeping them, and not forcing them to follow their father. Bobby was a good leader and teacher, but Dean still felt wholly unprepared for this moment.

They parked, and Dean got his and Bobby's duffle from the trunk, eyeing the grand door of the mansion. There were marble stairs leading to the door, for fuck's sake. Dean tried to mentally prepare himself for what was to be, he was sure, a very uncomfortable and humiliating weekend. He sighed and followed Bobby up the stairs.

Before they had a chance to knock, the door opened to reveal a short man with light brown hair, almost golden eyes, and a candy wrapper in one hand.

“Helloo Bobby, who's the tall, handsome, and scared wolf? He makes for a cuter sight than Rufus, that's for sure!”

Dean blushed, because he was apparently now a ten-year-old girl.

“Shuddup, Gabriel, you’re makin' him uncomfortable. That's Dean, my second. Rufus retired, old cuss wouldn’t have even been able to take the stairs anymore.”

“So I heard, so I heard. That's a pity, ‘cuz the old man was hilarious when he was pissed, and it was sooo much fun to rile him up! Well, back to square one with the new guy! So, Dean-o, what don’t you like? Spiders, snakes, heights?”

Gabriel continued blabbing a mile a minute while Dean watched practically transfixed and feeling more relieved. _Well, if that guy can be a second, maybe I can too._

“Gabriel, let our guests come in!” Came a voice from within the house.

The Alpha who the voice belonged to was tall, with black hair, and blue eyes. If Dean hadn't already known the two were brothers, he never would’ve guessed.

“Hello, Bobby. Don’t worry, no need for formalities, Naomi's not here yet.” Michael said with a glint of amusement in his eyes. Dean was surprised to see that the Novak’s Alpha was so much younger than Bobby, probably only in his mid-thirties. He remembered Bobby had said that Michael was a nice man but could be pretty forceful when needed. _Whoa, the preparation lessons were actually useful, who would’ve thought?_

Bobby shook the other Alpha’s hand.

“Thank Odin for small blessings, Michael. Alpha, this is my adopted son and second, Dean Winchester.”

Dean extended his hand and Michael shook it, watching him with a curious expression. Dean really didn’t like being on the other side of that stare.

“Winchester? Like...?” Michael trailed off.

“Yeah, Novak, like. So, we gonna come in, or do I have to take the tent out of the trunk?” Bobby replied gruffly.

_Awesome, so their hosts apparently knew about his father and what he had done, what a joy._

“Sure, sure, come in. Your rooms are in the hallway to the left, like last time.”

“If you think I remember last time, kid, you're sorely mistaken. Your father was still alive, for fucks sake.” Bobby muttered, turning left at the end of a hallway that, alone, could’ve contained the entire first floor of his house.

Dean followed him, still silent. He knew how to follow orders, _thank you very much_ , he just usually chose not to. They arrived at two rooms where a handwritten sign displayed their names.

“See you in ten, Dean, freshen up, and don't be late.” Said Bobby entering the room with his name and slamming the door on Dean's face.

Dean did the same, entering a room that looked like something out of one of the travel magazines Jo read -not him, _shut up_ -, with articles about fancy bed and breakfasts in the countryside.

There was a nice, comfy looking queen size bed - _cool_ -, two nightstands, a dresser, and an armoire, all in the same dark oak color. They were probably all made of actual oak, Dean thought, same as the floor. Three of the room’s walls were white, while the one behind the bed was a warm brown. All in all, it was a cool set up.

Dean threw his duffle on the floor and himself onto the bed, sighing happily. He allowed himself only a moment before getting up though, knowing if he stayed on the bed any longer than two minutes he was going to fall asleep.

A door in front of the bed led to a bathroom, and Dean went in to splash some cold water on his face. He smelled himself - _not bad_ -, checked his hair - _good hair, Winchester_ -, grabbed his wallet from the duffle and the key from the door, and walked out to knock on Bobby's door, letting him know he was ready.

They made their way down the hallway back to the grand entrance together, Bobby a step in front of him. Dean took the time to observe the hardwood floors, large, ornate windows, and fancy art along the walls -he thought it was nice, but since he knew nothing about art it could have been made by a three-year-old for all he knew.

Once back in the entrance, something caught Dean’s attention. A scent, but not quite. It was muted, or maybe old; Dean was sure it hadn't been there before, but it was so faint it could have just been masked by the rest of them. It was very nice, even in its muted form, and Dean immediately found himself wondering who it belonged to.

A stern pinch from his Alpha put him back in the game: four new people were there. A stern-looking woman in a grey pantsuit, with her hair in a tight bun and a pinched expression standing next to a tall, blonde-haired man in a polished suit and the fakest smile Dean had ever seen. Dean assumed it was Naomi, Alpha of the Heavenson pack, with Bartholomew, her second, and also an Alpha.

Also in the room was a round woman with unkempt hair and bad teeth ( _Katja, Alpha of the Coven pack and a total nutjob_ , Bobby's words coming back to Dean), standing with a petite, thin redhead Alpha who wore a long, silky powder rose dress - _yes, Dean knew what powder rose was. He had to paint a car like that once and it was one of the weirdest jobs in his career_. The redhead stood like she was royalty. She must be Rowena, Katja's second, Dean thought.

Introductions were made all around (which, now that Naomi had arrived, everybody’s pack and designation were used), and more curious stares were sent Dean’s way due to his surname. Michael then guided everybody to a large living room, evidently prepared for the meeting. There were chairs and couches, tables with snacks, and every set up was made to allow two people to sit next to each other while at a safe distance from the others. Too many Alphas in a room could be a recipe for disaster if everything wasn’t carefully planned.

“Morningstar and Campbell are late, I assume,” started Naomi, with disdain in her voice.

Dean stiffened a bit upon hearing the name of his mother's pack, but he breathed through it and straightened his posture. Bobby chose a seat near the exit of the living room -a wise choice for bathroom breaks- and Dean took the one next to him, trying his best to look relaxed.

“Lucifer has always had a flair for drama, so I'm not waiting for him, and the Campbells are located the farthest away, so it makes sense they're late. So, gentlemen, ladies, can I offer you a coffee? Tea?” Michael asked quickly, trying to tamper down the little spike of stress in his scent at the mention of his brother’s name.

Dean knew a bit about the Novak brothers’ story. How, after Alpha Charles’ death, his two eldest sons had fought for the pack's leadership. Michael had won, but not so easily, despite having the majority of his pack behind him. He then cast his brother out, and Lucifer had changed his name to Morningstar and created his own pack with other outcast wolves. This pack creation had been a big problem for territory matters a decade ago. For ten years, the pack meetings were hosted by the other packs to avoid the presence of the two brothers in one's territory. Dean knew things were calmer now, if only because Alpha Novak had agreed to have the annual pack meeting on his territory for the first time since the fallout.

As Michael stopped talking, a beautiful, red-haired woman came in with a rolling table covered in mugs, coffee, tea, and donuts. Dean was starting to really like the hospitality here.

“Alphas, this is Anna, my mate. She will be assisting us during our meeting _if_ she chooses.” Some grunts were made from the side of the room where Bartholomew was sitting “And that's not negotiable. Thank you, Anna.” Michael said warmly.

Dean observed as the Alpha and the Omega (obvious only by the scent) looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them, before Anna retreated from the room.

“So, let's begin this meeting. Let's start with population changes, demographics, and children.”

\---

Castiel took the damn pills, cursing his brother under his breath. He then showered, dressed, and exited his room, just to stumble into his sister-in-law.

“Hey Anna, how are you?”

The ginger smiled brightly, coming closer to him to scent him and be scented in return, as they usually did to greet each other within the family.

“I'm good, Castiel, I'm... what happened to you?” Anna asked, leaning in. “You smell… Well, actually, you almost don't.”

“Your mate's kind orders. Apparently there are too many Alphas here this weekend to have the smell of an unmated Omega all over the place. But I can still leave my room, so I'll take the win.” he replied with a smirk.

Anna laughed, then took his elbow and directed him down the stairs and into the kitchen. As he passed the grand hall, his nose caught a vague scent - _damn blockers_ \- of… wood, and leather, and... he didn't know, his nose was basically useless, but it smelled really good.

He followed the other Omega in the kitchen, where a tray with some donuts and mugs were almost ready.

“You're not going to serve them all weekend, right? Because that's what we pay Rachel for, you know.”

“I know, Castiel. No, I'm not doing the meek Omega thing all weekend, just this once, and maybe a little later. Michael wants me to get a feel for the crowd, so I'm gonna serve breakfast and then I'll come to you and gossip. Besides, Rachel’s with the kids right now.” Anna winked at him, and he laughed.

“Yeah, ok. I'm going to have a cup of tea myself, then I'm probably going for a run. Has everyone arrived yet?”

“No, just the Singers for now. Lucifer is gonna be late, to make an entrance, and the others should be here any moment now. Here, your tea.”

“Thank you, Anna.”

Anna was a good friend and an even better mate for his brother. They met in college and became friends while both wearing blockers, as was the policy for every presented wolf in public education. They mated as soon as they graduated, and Anna was the closest Omega to Castiel when he presented. He owed her a lot, and the pack owed her a lot too. Michael’s views on Omegas were mostly due to his mate, who didn’t take any shit from anyone and stood up to the Alpha for equal treatment. She was, all in all, the big sister Castiel never had. Michael and Anna had two kids, Samandriel, who was eight years old, and Amiel, who was four years old, and Castiel was very happy to play the doting uncle since he came back from college six months prior.

The doorbell rang, twice in a matter of minutes. Castiel saw Anna scrunch her nose, signaling to him that someone had a very unsettling scent.

“Gods, some of them stink, it's terrible. Open the windows, would you, while I take this to the “bosses”.” She said, indicating the tray of drinks and food.

The younger Omega stood up and complied, smiling at the gesture Anna did to clean her nose of the scent while she pushed the rolling table in the direction of the living room where the meeting was happening.

Castiel finished his tea, while gazing out the window. The weather was pleasant for the end of November. The air was chilly, obviously, but the sun shone brightly on the gardens and the forest behind them. It was the perfect weather to run and the Omega smiled softly to himself as he put down his mug and went to undress himself in the mudroom behind the kitchen that gave way to the back door. He shifted swiftly in his black wolf form, opened the door with a press of his paw, and ran.

\---

Bobby was already bored out of his mind. They were discussing demographics still, and he never could find in himself to care how many Alpha, Beta, and Omegas were in each pack.

Christian Campbell had finally arrived with his cousin Gwen, a Beta, as second. The sneer on the face of the Alpha as he saw Dean -another cousin- was fairly difficult to ignore, but Bobby had mastered his poker face a long time ago, and refrained from snarling at the idiot Samuel had thought was best to lead his pack.

Michael was, in Bobby's opinion, the only decent Alpha in the group. He was a modern thinking wolf, a good businessman, and had a great flair in regard to choosing the people that helped him.

The others were... well.

Naomi was a pretentious dick who thought the sun shone out her ass, but in reality nobody cared about her. The only reason for her presence in these meetings was because of the borders she had with the Novaks and the fact that Sandover, the were-boarded import-export industry, was sited in her territory. Michael was the CEO of Sandover, as his father was before him, and he employed a big part of the wolves of the region.

Katja was the Alpha of the Coven's pack, who were the weirdest wolves Bobby knew of. They called themselves witches and were trained healers, but everyone was a little too hippy for Bobby's liking. Especially the Alpha, who was the oldest of the present representatives and was probably starting to show signs of senility, if her unsettling little evil laugh for absolutely no reason was any clue.

Bobby tried to return his attention to the matter at hand when Christian Campbell started to talk, but it seemed as if the other Alpha’s attention was mostly focused on Dean; that could be a problem, Bobby thought, and glanced in the direction of his second.

Dean seemed oblivious of the attention and was taking notes.

“ _Your only job this time is taking notes, princess. I'm too old for that shit, my arthritis would be killing me.”_

“ _Bobby, your arthritis leaves you alone while you work on cars and file your bills.”_

“ _Shut up idjit, you take notes, I pretend to care.”_

Bobby could pick up the nervousness in Dean’s scent as he took notes. He patted Dean on the shoulder in an effort to comfort him, then turned his waning attention back to the meeting.

\---

“So far, the Novak pack had eighty-three members, which were divided by ten percent Alpha, twelve percent Omega, and the rest were Beta. Campbell’s pack’s numbers were sixty-two members: fifteen percent Alpha, ten percent Omega, and seventy-five percent Beta. Heavenson’s pack had thirty-five members: ten percent Alpha, ten percent…”

Dean was _bored_.

He was actually glad he had to take notes, so he had to stay focused on something, anything, to keep from falling asleep. That was the last thing he wanted to do, feeling the judgmental eyes on him from every fucking Alpha in the place.

_Well yes, my name is Winchester, ring a bell?_

Not reacting was hard for Dean, who had _a bit_ of a temper but knew he couldn't fuck up the opportunity Bobby had given to him.

So, he ignored the sneer from his mother's cousins, and the demented stare from Katja, and the calculating one from Naomi. He kept his scent relaxed, focused, and kept taking notes, which were decorated with abstract doodles and weirdly precise drawings of parts of engines.

When Anna came back, with a blonde woman and a tray full of sandwiches, the interruption was a very welcome one.

Dean turned in the direction of the door at the sound of steps and saw a black mop of unruly hair just passing behind the women, in the direction of the stairs. He tried to twist his head to see more, but the person had already disappeared from his view.

He turned back and smiled politely at the Omega and the Beta -he knew better than trying his flirty smile with the Alpha's mate- and took his lunch, hoping for a little reprieve in the proceedings.

His hope was crushed immediately when Heavenson decided that having everyone with food in their mouth was a good time to run hers and asked about the new businesses in the packs. Dean stifled a groan, inhaled his sandwich, and kept taking the fucking notes.

\---

Castiel had a fairly good day.

He went on a run for a couple of hours, then came back for a snack right as the kids had lunch and Rachel was preparing lunch for the Alphas. He snatched a sandwich, sat down near his nephew, and spent several minutes with an excitable Samandriel telling him all about his new and improved Lego starship. Amiel was picking at her food, as usual; she was a fussy eater.

Once he finished his sandwich, he offered to take the kids upstairs while the women brought lunch to the living room, and Anna eagerly accepted.

He helped clean the children, a bit of the kitchen, then rounded the two pups behind their mother and the help and directed them toward the playroom on the first floor. He passed near the entrance of the meeting room and caught, yet again, that faint but good smell. Wondering who it belonged to, he set up to play with Amiel while Sam conquered distant planets with his starship.

Anna came back a little later and sat down near him. He put down the doll he was helping get dressed and watched his sister-in-law with curiosity. Her eyes shone bright, so she had many things to say.

“Well?” he asked.

“Well, Castiel, here's the situation. Lucifer's still not here, as we thought. The one that smells so awful is the Coven one, I really hope I can stay as far away as I can from her, it's like rotten eggs. Naomi is being her usual, delightful self, and Bartholomew is as ruffled as usual, so not at all. I swear, the guy must wash himself with laundry starch.”

Castiel nodded, well aware of the customary behavior of the two Alphas of the Heavenson pack.

“The new Campbell Alpha is afraid of something. He tries to hide it but can't. In the ten minutes I was down there, he stole glances at Bobby's second at least three times. And well... I would have too. Singer's second? He's gorgeous, Castiel. Like model gorgeous. And Alpha.” She added, winking.

Castiel frowned. “...and?”

Anna scoffed. “What do you mean, and? And we should find a way to make you two meet before the end of the weekend!”

The male Omega watched her in disbelief. “Are you trying to set me up with an Alpha, Anna? Seriously?” His annoyance slid into his tone and, had he one, it would’ve in his scent too.

“Well, window shopping never hurt anyone, little brother.” She shrugged.

“I'm twenty-two, Anna, I'm not ready to take a mate.” He scoffed.

“Well, I wasn’t talking about mating, but suit yourself.” She replied, smirking.

Castiel blushed, for the implication and the slip-up.

“I'm not sleeping with a random Alpha in my brother's house just because he's pretty, Anna.”

“Of course not, he's not random.” She laughed.

“That's even more of a reason, drop it.”

She did, because she was a good sister-in-law, and they resumed playing with the kids. Castiel forgot to ask about the nice scent he couldn't discern.

\---

Michael took a look at his watch discreetly. As the afternoon proceeded, he watched the attention of everyone falter.

Gabriel was still awake, which was no small gesture for him, but his expression spoke of what little goodwill he had left. His legs were bouncing at the speed of light, because Gabriel couldn’t go a day without eating his weight in candy and act like a three-year-old with a sugar rush.

Bartholomew wore the same little side smirk he always did, but it probably was just his normal facial feature at this point because the light of recognition in his eyes was gone.

Naomi had basically talked all afternoon, rejoicing in a new bar opening on her ground, a possibly pregnant Omega, and other stuff no one cared about. But everything was carefully noted, obviously.

Katja was... cleaning? her nails with her teeth -absolutely disgusting- while Rowena, her second, sat straight clutching her purse on her lap and watching everyone with half-lidded eyes that, if Michael was correct, weren’t missing a thing that was happening.

Bobby had his eyes in the shadows of his eternal baseball cap, but the slight frown of his mouth talked loud enough of his patience running thin.

The first day of pack meetings was never an interesting one.

Winchester, Bobby's second, was a mystery.

Michael could sense his Alpha was a strong one, but he didn't act like it.

He was mid-twenties, but sometimes had the eyes of someone older and the grin of someone younger. He was a good-looking man, light brown hair gelled to stand up on his head, striking green eyes, nice facial features. He was tall, but strangely held himself to look a bit smaller.

He rolled his eyes a lot but checked right after to see if anybody had noticed it. Michael did, but Michael was used to observing others without being noticed, it was a very good skill to have in this kind of life. When he yawned, he remembered to mask his mouth just a moment too late, as if he was really trying to be on his best behavior, but it didn't come naturally.

He took notes all along, pages and pages of probably useless notes, per his Alpha’s request probably. He was the youngest in the room and probably a bit intimidated, but that didn't explain why it felt like he was so much on his guard.

Michael tore his eyes away from the young man and looked at his watch again. With the minutes passing, the sense of anticipation grew like a tickle in the back of his head. He reached out to Anna through his bond, sensing her carefree and happy, then pulled a little to call to her.

As he did just that, the doorbell rang.

\---

The doorbell rang, and Bobby glanced at Michael for a moment. The Novak's Alpha face was relaxed, except for the little tick at the edge of his right eye. His scent wasn’t spiking, but Bobby knew the kid too well to let himself be fooled: they all knew who was at the door.

Gabriel bounced on his feet, practically screaming “The prodigal son returns!”, which granted him an eye roll from his Alpha, and went to open the door.

The rest of the attendants sat still, waiting, except for Katja who started singing a weird, German lullaby.

Voices could be heard from the entrance, a snarky one from Gabriel and a cold one from his older brother.

“Gentlemen, ladies, may I introduce... Lucifer Morningstar!” Gabriel announced reentering the living room, framing his guest with open arms like a magician after a trick, “And his delightful second, Azazel!”.

Lucifer was a tall, blond man in his mid-thirties. He was younger than Michael but didn't look like it. Azazel was an older Alpha with strange yellowish eyes and a frightening smile. Both of the Morningstar members wore an air of danger around them and Bobby, despite himself, suppressed a shiver.

“Well hello, comrades... Who do we have here? Naomi, beautiful as ever...” Lucifer inclined his head slightly in the direction of the female Alpha, then turned to the Coven Alpha.

“Katja.” he quickly masked a face of disgust seeing the witch was presently cleaning one of her ears with her pinky finger.

“Bobby.” the Singer's Alpha felt the calculating stare as if it was a physical touch.

“And new guy. Who are you, new guy?” He asked looking at Campbell.

“Christian Campbell, Alpha of the Campbell pack.”

“Oh, Samuel's dead finally?”

A snarl could be heard from Campbell's second, Gwen, behind her Alpha, at Lucifer's words.

“No, my uncle decided to retire,” Christian replied through gritted teeth.

“Well, about time, a bald wolf couldn’t stay pack Alpha, don't you think, Bobby?”

 _Pfft, lame try, kid_. Bobby thought, staring at the other wolf with a bored expression.

“Well aren't you all a lot of fun! So, what did I miss?”

Lucifer took a seat in an armchair and sat like a king on a throne, opposite of the brother he hadn’t bothered greeting, giving him a cold and dangerous look. Michael held his eyes, unblinking, for several moments. Gabriel interrupted the staring contest.

“Well, nothing, of course, it's when you arrive that things become interesting, everybody knows that,” snarked the younger Novak, returning to his place behind his older brother and sprawling on a loveseat.

“That’s true. I have a lot of news, in fact. The first one is that I'm mated, two years now. Well, she's mated to me, if you know what I mean.” Lucifer said, winking. _Winking_. The guy had no decency.

“The second one is that a wolf that a lot of you know, in person or by reputation, joined my pack last year.”

Lucifer paused, letting the suspense build. Bobby and Michael groaned in unison at the unnecessary drama.

“The Alpha, John Winchester, is now part of the Morningstar pack.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You stink.”
> 
> “Thanks, old man, you don't smell like roses either. We need to talk.”
> 
> “Shower first, talk later. And bring a glass, I have only one.”

Dean felt like the air was being sucked out of his lungs. Remembering the self-control exercises Bobby had taught him, he tried to quickly suppress any spikes of stress in his scent, but the curious -and frightening- glance he received from Lucifer indicated he wasn’t successful.

Dean saw Bobby’s back suddenly straighten at the sound of John’s name, and Michael also lost his composure for a heartbeat. The others weren’t so subtle: Gabriel gasped loudly, Christian and Gwen frowned, Naomi’s mouth formed an “O” of surprise (that was the most expressive her face had been all day), Bartholomew looked at his Alpha in alarm (his plastic smile finally slipping), Katja laughed upsettingly, and Rowena just stared, unblinking, at Dean.

Even if he knew he was being watched only by Lucifer and Rowena, Dean still felt as if all the attention of the room had shifted to him. He looked down at his lap full of useless notes and waited for someone to start talking to break the tension in the room. _Fuck_.

“Vinchester, Morningstar? Are you trying to be deposed?” Katja continued to laugh, her German accent even thicker than before.

“He couldn't take down old Singer, Katja, I think I'm safe. Besides, it's the purpose of my pack to welcome lone, abandoned wolves.” The blond Alpha answered dramatically, crossing his legs and lounging in the armchair with a smirk on his lips.

Dean watched as Bobby let another dig slide again. The self-restraint of his Alpha was commendable. _When I grow up, I want to be like Bobby_.

“Your pack purpose is to host every criminal wolf, you mean.” bit Michael. A new stare-off started between the brothers.

“Oh, Mike, John isn’t a criminal. Just a little out of luck,” replied Lucifer, sitting up to take an empty glass from the nearest table, shaking it in front of Azazel’s face. Azazel quickly complied with the silent order and filled the glass full of a dark amber liquid.

Gods, Dean could really use a drink right now.

“He challenged two of his Alphas and lost, Lucifer. Both packs are present today. He was judged guilty of treason from Campbell and Singer's packs and sentenced to a life of loneliness. You are going against our laws and decisions, or do I need to remind you of when you voted in favor of the sentence four years ago?” Michael seemed to have regained his footing and found an angle to attack. Lucifer seemed totally unperturbed however, and sipped from his glass, letting the silence fall for some time. The guy surely had a flair for dramatics.

“No, brother, I remember well, but I guess I just changed my mind,” the blond Alpha answered, shrugging.

The atmosphere was getting extremely uncomfortable, especially for Dean. He hadn’t had any news from his father in four years, not since the hot, summer day the big black wolf had challenged Bobby's leadership. John said it was because Bobby knew nothing of leadership. That he shouldn't meddle with the boys’ education. That he was too soft and was raising his sons to be soft. Bobby, it turned out, wasn’t as soft as John thought.

The fight hadn’t lasted long. Bobby was as old as John, and probably just as much of an alcoholic, but he could hold his liquor better and trained often, sparring with the younger pack members. Sam and Dean had watched with wide and terrified eyes as their surrogate uncle shifted into his brown wolf form and, without any hesitation, batted his big, front right paw on their father's snout, as if punishing a pup. The pack Alpha then sent the other one flying with a bat of his left paw, jumped on top of him, and took his throat in his bite. A few minutes later, John yielded in defeat.

It took all of five minutes for Bobby to shift back, and naked as the day he was born -which was _not_ a memory Dean cherished-, banned the oldest Winchester from his pack.

Dean and Sam had exchanged a glance, well-aware that they would probably have to follow their father in his banishment. There had been dust in their eyes, maybe allergies, something that made them tear up as they tried to be brave and wait for their own sentence.

But Bobby, still naked- and wasn't that the most effective picture to prevent any orgasm in the future- turned towards the boys and in a gruff voice said, “You're family, boys. You ain't goin' anywhere.”

That didn't go over too well with John -shocker- and Rufus and Jody had to remove him from the pack territory forcefully.

Since then, not a word.

Dean could live with the silence; especially now that it had gone to shit, Dean could see how comfortable it had been.

“Lucifer, there are rules. Sentences. You can't just change your mind in legal matters.” spoke Naomi, her voice as cold as her demeanor.

“Watch me, Heavenson.” Lucifer smirked in the direction of the female Alpha, a challenge in his features. “So, when do we eat, Mike? Has your Omega forced you to cook your own meals by now?” he turned in the direction of his older brother, with the same, challenging expression.

“You will watch your mouth in my house, Lucifer, or you can leave right now,” growled Michael. He sat tense in his chair, his hands gripping his knees, looking ready to pounce.

Just before Lucifer could answer, Michael's mate (Anna, Dean thought was her name) and the blonde Beta (Dean still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he was in a house with _hired help_ ) entered the living room. Anna gave the new guests a wide-eyed glance and, with a smile faker than the one she wore before, let them know that dinner was ready.

\---

Michael was fuming. The meetings with his brother never went well, but he had the feeling Lucifer came to this one with the express intention to challenge the status quo.

Lucifer wasn’t a stranger to welcoming dangerous wolves into his pack. In fact, almost all of the Morningstars were rejects, criminals, or just plain crazy people, Azazel the first of them. The Alpha's second had been cast out from a pack years ago with his brother Alistair, because “ _Their interrogation methods were too harsh even in time of war_ ” -Michael had obtained the information writing to their former pack. What they really wanted to say was that the brothers were sadistic torturers. Why Lucifer, who was raised by the same father as Gabriel and Michael, surrounded himself with those kinds of people, Michael would never understand.

At Anna's announcement everyone stood up, apparently eager to leave the tense atmosphere of the living room and eat something different from just snacks and sandwiches -and candy, in Gabriel's case-.

Michael approached Anna and took a moment to bury his nose in her neck, as did she. Her cool scent -winter roses and molasses- calmed him down a bit. He relented when he felt a hand on his shoulder and straightened himself. Gabriel shot him an understanding look and sauntered in the direction of the formal dining room with a much more composed Rachel and invited the crowd to follow him.

Michael was relieved to see that Castiel wasn’t in sight. With everything that was happening, he preferred to have his little brother as far away from the others as possible. Lucifer hadn’t seen Castiel in ten years and didn't know that he was an Omega, that he went to college, that he was even still alive. That was exactly how Michael liked it. Lucifer was an expert manipulator and he wouldn’t put it past him to try and steal Castiel from under his nose. Castiel had a very soft spot for family.

When everyone was sitting at the table, Rachel went to the kitchen to retrieve the food. Anna sat at his right, Gabriel at his left. The others were sitting in pairs, Bobby on the other side of Anna, Naomi on the other side of Gabriel.

“Seriously, you had to sit the most boring person in the world next to me?” muttered Gabriel in his ear.

“Shut up and eat, Gabe. I feel we will not have time for dessert,” he replied, observing the rest of the table.

He couldn't see Dean but knew the young Alpha must feel very unbalanced at the moment. He knew most of John Winchester’s past, as his case had been discussed lengthily four years prior. He knew he was almost a rogue wolf, that his sons came to Bobby with no idea how to behave. He was actually pretty impressed with Singer's second. The kid knew how to tamper down his aggression, even in light of recent announcements.

Lucifer, who obviously didn't know when to shut up, started again.

“So, Bobby, who's your new second? Rufus kicked the bucket?”

Bobby took another bite, chewed calmly before answering.

“Rufus' well, but I'll tell him you wish him the best health. My second is my son, Dean.” The Alpha looked at Lucifer dead in the eyes, from under his cap.

“You had a son? I didn't think your knot still worked, Singer, you surprise me!” Morningstar raised his glass in mock cheer.

“What are you, twelve?” replied Bobby, just as Christian Campbell added “He's adopted. He's John Winchester’s son.”

_Thank you, young Campbell, for your commendable ability to read the room._

“How interesting!” Lucifer replied, looking at Dean like a snake stalking its prey “So you should be the designated heir to the Campbell pack, shouldn't you?”

Michael could feel the surge of embarrassment from the young Alpha, who tried to hide in his chair and keep his eyes down, not answering.

“Morningstar, _I'm_ the Campbell Alpha, the heir is _my_ son.” bit Christian in the direction of Lucifer, who was drinking a sip of wine looking utterly unbothered.

“Well, yes, _now_ , but Dean here is Samuel's grandson. He's obviously an Alpha, so by birth he should be in your shoes, don't you think?”

“Alpha Samuel never would have wanted the traitor's son in his stead. He banned him and his brother exactly for that reason. If you like to have traitors in your pack Lucifer, that's your problem. We don't like them, or their blood.” he added, almost spitting in Singer's second's direction.

A chair fell loudly. Winchester was standing, hands on the table, knuckles white, gazing firmly at Campbell's Alpha.

“I'm not my father. I'm not a traitor, and I don't want anything to do with people who cast out children from their homes for their parent’s faults. You can-” Dean cut himself off. With obvious exhaustion, he stepped away from the table, turning in Michael’s direction and asked politely for permission to leave the room, which was granted.

The wolf left the dining room with stiff steps and an upset scent.

Bobby muttered “Happy now?” to Lucifer, who answered with a smirk, while Christian was still red from rage. Katja seemed to have missed the entire thing as she stuffed her face, and Rowena resumed eating with proper manners. Naomi sat in silent judgment, while Bartholomew sat stiff as a board, which wasn’t unusual for him. Anna leaned a bit in Michael’s direction, seeking comfort and perhaps protection.

“Well, if that's not a traditional family dinner with a free show, I don't know what is!” Gabriel joked, trying to deflate the situation.

“You're right, little brother, we should do it more often. This is fun!” replied Lucifer. “So, Campbell here is afraid of Winchester, there” Lucifer indicated the door with his thumb, “is going to steal his pack. Winchester seems to be a little easy to provoke, Bobby, how do you deal with that? And you really have a Winchester as a second? I thought your little stunt four years ago was enough. This one's young, too. Must be a big wolf.”

Campbell scoffed at the implication that he was afraid, but his expression couldn’t mask his scent. The guy was actually fearful that Dean would try to reclaim his pack, and everyone could smell it.

Bobby, on the other side, leaned forward in his chair.

“I think Dean will be a very good Alpha when his time comes. He's loyal, brave, and smart, and I think of him and his brother as mine. I'm not the one who took a wolf who tried to take the place of his pack’s Alpha twice.”

“No, you put his son as second. Old age isn't doing you any favors, Singer.”

“Well, at least I have the excuse of my age, what's yours, Morningstar?”

\---

Bobby knew he should defuse the situation, not aggravate it, but his patience was running thin. He knew Lucifer was a manipulative asshole and was best to ignore, as everyone around the table did, except for Campbell and apparently, Dean.

“Mine? I just enjoy it. Besides, Winchester is an interesting character. Lots of things to say, you know? I feel like I know you better now, Singer,” smirked the dick.

“I'm sure he had a lot of interesting things to say to you. I stopped listening to him years ago,” shrugged Bobby.

“Did you bring him here so he could see his opposition, and try to claim my pack, Singer?” asked Christian Campbell out of nowhere. _Gods, the kid was a paranoid idiot. Best kind of Alpha_ , thought Bobby sarcastically.

“You heard the kid, he doesn't want your pack. He's my heir and he prefers to remain with people who care about him. Unbelievable, I know.” Bobby said, rolling his eyes. Sometimes resisting it was too damn hard.

“He's a Winchester. He's like his father. He's going to stab you in the back, you'll see, and then he's going to-”

“ENOUGH.”

Michael’s Alpha voice fell over everyone. The Betas cowered, the Alphas were just a little startled, but it was enough. Silence fell.

“We are dining. This is not the time for unreasonable accusations or mind games. If you can’t keep calm tonight, you can resume your standoff tomorrow morning. For now, let's finish dinner. Thank you.”

Bobby agreed with a slight nod, and picked up his fork again, as did everybody. The conversations were stilted or non-existent and, despite the excellent meal, Bobby didn't enjoy it very much. He needed some bourbon to wash this shitshow away.

\---

Castiel knew his brother Lucifer was here. He heard the doorbell and the enthusiastic exclamations of Gabe. He also knew Michael preferred he didn't see him, and he silently agreed.

Lucifer scared him, always had. There was something insane in his brother that lurked just behind the surface. Castiel remembered the death of his father, ten years prior, and the feud that sprouted between his brothers from that. It had been a troublesome period for the Novak pack: Lucifer lying his ass off to gain support, Michael having to defend himself while also mourning an adored father, Gabriel just off to college, and Castiel too young to really understand anything.

Michael was the rightful heir and a good, level-headed Alpha. He was already Vice-President of Sandover and his people trusted him, but the fight with his brother broke him for a time.

After trying to steal Michael's mate, his company, and his pack, Lucifer left defeated and rejected his family’s name. For the Novaks, which placed family above anything else, that was a treason that could not be forgiven. Not even by Gabriel, who called his brother “ _a great, big bag of dicks_ ”, even if he put on a histrionic mask in front of the others.

So, with the purpose of avoiding all of the family drama, at least for the evening, Castiel left to meet his friend Balthazar. He headed out the back door to avoid passing the pack Alphas and jumped in his car just before six o'clock. Balthazar was already waiting for him sitting at the counter of a local bar, a fancy and colorful drink in front of him.

“Cas, Cas, Cassie! What took you so long, love?” his friend asked, knowing perfectly well that Castiel wasn’t a single minute late, as usual. Balthazar, a tall man with a crown of blond curls, wore a shirt with a v-neck so low it practically reached his navel and a pair of skinny dark jeans. Although the sun had set two hours ago and they were inside, the Beta's blue eyes were covered by mirror sunglasses.

“Bal, only douchebags wear sunglasses inside. Take them off, come on.”

“Well, good to see you too, love. How’s the weekend at the Alpha house?” Balthazar asked, finally taking his glasses off and asking with a gesture to the bartender for another pink thing like his own.

“I'm not drinking that.”

“Yes, Cas, you are. Spill.”

“Well, Lucifer arrived this evening. I didn't see him but, even without my nose, I could feel the tension ramping up in the house. If we come out of this without any fighting, I think we'll be lucky,” Castiel sighed. His cocktail arrived, with a little umbrella on top. Castiel discarded it and took a sip. It was way too sweet and tasted like strawberry candy and tequila, but he’d take it.

“Oh yes, and how is the little blockers thing going?” asked the Beta, leaning on the counter while eyeing the rest of the bargoers. On the hunt, then. _This night will end shortly_ , Castiel thought.

“As expected. I hate it. It's like being blind, but instead of being surrounded by other blind people, like in college, I’m on my own.” Another sip, bigger than the one before. If Balthazar was to leave early to get laid, better make the best of the time he had.

“Yeah, blockers must suck. But honestly, I think having six Alphas glued to your ass would suck more. For you.” Balthazar winked, the implication that he would be just fine if the roles were reversed, heavy in his tone. The Beta, whose scent and sense of smell were already muted, never really understood the loathing most Alpha and Omegas had against blockers. Nor did he understand that not everyone dreamed of having group sex.

“Yes, yes it would. That's why I accepted it. The alternative was hiding at your house for three days and I didn't want to ruin your game.” Castiel smirked. The Beta didn't even blush. He shrugged and made eye contact with a cute blonde girl on the other side of the bar.

“Yes, _no_ , love, you know I like you very, very much, but us in bed is a tried and tested bad idea.” They laughed. Castiel was starting to feel the alcohol and, with it, the tension of the day started to fade.

“By the way, Anna tried to set me up with one of the seconds.”

“Really? Must be hot. Anna has good taste in Alphas.”

“Thank you, Bal. I know my brother's good looking, no need to keep pointing it out.” Castiel paused to take another sip. “She said he's, quote, ‘model gorgeous’. I wouldn’t know, I haven't seen him. But I do know that one of the wolves there smells incredible. There's a... I dunno, winter…forest scent? I can barely pick it up, obviously. But it’s nice.” Castiel trailed off, finishing his drink and despite his initial dislike, called for another right-away.

“Maybe it's the model Anna mentioned. Alpha, hot, with a nice scent, wouldn't you be lucky!”

“Yes, and after he would tell me that it’s been fun, but he had someone home waiting for him.” His tone turning bitter.

“Not everyone is an asshole, Cas.”

“Well, you are.”

“Yes, but I never lead anyone on, I’m always upfront with them. I’m an honest and considerate asshole, thank you very much.”

Castiel smiled at his friend, then lifted his chin briefly in the direction of the cute blonde who was now devouring Balthazar with her eyes.

“That you are, Bal. Go be an honest and considerate asshole. I'm going to finish this and go to bed.”

\---

Dean went for a run. He needed to feel his wolf, to let loose, and release some of his aggression through exercise instead of fighting. He left the house from the main entrance, hoping that someone would be there to open it for him when he came back, disrobed quickly, putting his clothes in Bobby's trunk and shifted.

His wolf was big, caramel-colored, and strong. Dean knew he was a powerful Alpha, and that he had command of his voice and body, he just didn't let his wolf run free too often. After sixteen years with John Winchester as the only Alpha model, Dean had difficulty accepting his status sometimes. He worried sometimes that he was too caring, and not aggressive enough. He didn't like to use his Alpha voice, and he didn't like to fight, even if he was good at it. His strength and skill had been tested when he was always finding himself in the middle of his father and brother growing up. It was only when they arrived at Bobby's that he could see being an Alpha didn't mean automatically being a dick. He learned that there were as many Alpha personalities as there were Alphas, and that he could truly accept who he was and the fact that he didn't need to be one or the other. He could be strong and caring.

Right now, though, memories of his father ran high.

He could see where the Campbell came from. He knew his father had been Samuel's second for a time, until his mother died during childbirth. The event broke the two men, each blaming the other. Dean was six at the time. When John challenged Samuel’s authority as Alpha, the whole pack felt betrayed by him, banning John and the kids.

Most wolves believed in nature over nurture. Bobby didn't. Bobby had faith in him and Sam. Bobby, who knew everything that happened, still opened his home and his family to them. Bobby was the father Dean wished John had been.

He ran, letting his wolf free. He crossed the front yard -as large as a parking lot- and headed in the direction of the woods that were near the edge of the property. He ran fast, through the bushes and trees, hearing the fallen leaves crunch under his paws. He ran until his breath was short and his legs started to burn. Then he lifted his nose and followed his own scent back to the Novak palace.

He retrieved his clothes, dressed himself, and went up the stairs. While he was debating with himself if it was better to ring the doorbell or knock quietly, the door opened in front of him. Stunned, he watched as the two Campbells came out of the house. The look on Christian's face instantly turned murderous.

“You little shit, you listen to me and take this message back to Singer and Novak. We refuse to be in any pack meeting with you. Singer can either find himself another second, or he can deal with the consequences of not having our pack’s alliance and ruining what all our packs have been working on for decades. I hope to never see you again, brat.”

The tone was ice cold, and the words were almost a war declaration. Before Dean could even react, his cousins left, leaving -small graces- the door open.

He went through the house without paying attention to anything until he found himself in front of Bobby's room. He knocked and, seconds later, his Alpha answered.

“You stink.”

“Thanks, old man, you don't smell like roses either. We need to talk.”

“Shower first, talk later. And bring a glass, I have only one.”

Bobby shut the door in his face, so Dean went to his room to take a shower and wash away the sweat and the stress.

\---

Castiel parked his car in front of the house, as two figures jumped into another car and left in a hurry. _Weird._

He exited the car and climbed the stairs, swaying just a little bit. He wasn’t drunk, the two glasses of water that he drank while trying to be Balthazar’s wingman had sobered him enough. The first blonde was a no-go. Balthazar had ended up taking home a redheaded Beta male instead. It's not like he was picky.

He opened the door and immediately a fantastic scent invaded his nostrils.

Pine, leather, and a rich scent... almost like butter, or pastries hit him. He could tell it belonged to an Alpha, and a powerful one. The blockers were wearing off, finally, and he could pick up a lot of other scents too- his family first, but also a lot of pissed off wolves. There were also some lingering traces of annoyance and, weirdly, amusement? But the heavenly scent dominated over everything else, as if the person who it belonged to had just walked past him. Did the scent belong to one of the two people who had just sped away? If that was the case, it would be very unfortunate.

Castiel, without even noticing, followed the scent in the direction of the hallway to the left, where it was fresher. So, not gone. Good. As the Omega came closer to the source of the scent, he realized his body was reacting. His feet were guiding him in the direction of the guest rooms, and his dick was chubbing -what the hell? He felt a slight dribble of slick between his cheeks. That... that had never happened before. His body had never reacted sexually to a scent, not even an Alpha one. He recoiled, embarrassed with himself and at the thought of being caught.

Without finishing the investigation his body was clearly eager to end, he turned back and went to his room, nostrils still full of Alpha, to try and calm his body and sleep.

If that night was full of dreams of the faceless Alpha that smelled like Christmas cookies, nobody had to know.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the encouragement I've received, they mean so, so much. 
> 
> Next week our boys will finally meet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Omega…”
> 
> “Cassie” suggested Gabriel, as Michael said “Castiel.”
> 
> “… Cas, I'm asking for your permission to court you.”

The morning came too quickly for Dean.

The night had mostly passed by talking with Bobby about the Campbell situation. Bobby had mostly shrugged off his concerns, calling the Campbells paranoid bastards and said he had no intention of demoting him. They could go fuck themselves with a cactus for all he cared.

Bobby and Dean then called Sam, who was probably buried in one of his law books, and he offered to look for a jurisprudence that could apply in case the Campbells decided to bring the problem to higher authorities. Sam agreed that it was a load of horse shit, but Dean was still unsettled.

He put on a black t-shirt, a red flannel, and a pair of jeans, then brushed his teeth and spiked his hair. Just as he was finishing tying his boots, he heard a knock on the door.

“Breakfast, now, move.”

Wow, Bobby was very chatty this fine morning.

He exited his room and followed his Alpha to the dining room. Truth be told, he was famished. Not having finished his dinner the night prior, plus the run and some glasses of whiskey after, had left him with a sensation of hunger he wasn't accustomed to anymore.

On the table the breakfast spread was beautiful: pancakes, bacon, eggs, cereal, yogurt, fruit, and toast with butter and jam. Everything was nicely displayed and inviting.

But, of course, duty first. Bobby was approaching Michael and, in a quiet voice to avoid overhearing (even if they were the first ones up), explained to the Novak's Alpha the situation. Michael's faces were priceless: intrigued, surprised, angry, and finally vaguely amused. He nodded in Dean's direction, which Dean took as permission to approach, and spoke very calmly.

“Well, Christian was not the sharpest tool in the Campbell box, and this is the proof. He can't do a thing against an Alpha's second with just his paranoia to back him up, so if he doesn't want to stay for the meeting he's free to do so, but he will be facing the appropriate penalties. Now let's eat, we have work to do.”

Dean and Bobby agreed and sat down. Dean scarfed down a pile of pancakes topped with bacon and smothered in syrup, then some scrambled eggs on toast and finally a piece of buttered bread with peach jam, all drowned by three cups of coffee. He pointedly avoided the stares from Bobby and the curious glances from Michael, but watched in amusement as Gabriel did almost the same thing he did, minus the bacon and the eggs, but added butter, sugar, and a pair of chocolate muffins. The guy sure had a sweet tooth.

The other guests arrived, one after the other. Some just had a cup of coffee (Naomi), or tea (Rowena), some scarfed down food in a matter that was ridiculous even for Dean (Katja), and some ate with commendable composure (Bartholomew). The last to arrive were the two Morningstar and, by that moment, almost everyone had finished.

Lucifer entered the room with the charisma of a king, his lackey right behind him. His presence cast a chill over the rest of the table and his satisfied smirk implied it was exactly the expected outcome.

“Good morning everyone. Oh, are we short two participants?” he asked sitting down, Azazel next to him.

“Yes. The Campbells felt the need to leave overnight in the wake of yesterday’s discussions. I think it will be better if we finish breakfast before we analyze the problem.” replied Michael. Dean thought Novak was doing his best to keep his calm.

“Oh, they got scared by the little pup? How cute.”

Dean bit back a groan and focused on finishing his -insert number- cup of coffee.

“Oh, come on big brother, eat some waffles, maybe they will sweeten you a little,” replied Gabriel with a smirk.

“Sweeten me, yes. But they will not let me forget what I'm here to do.”

“What are you here to do, Lucifer? I've honestly been wondering since yesterday,” interjected Bobby, lifting his cap slightly from his eyes.

Lucifer served himself a plate of eggs and bacon and started eating, not bothering to respond. Bobby put his cap back on his forehead and leaned back in his chair. Michael was tense, despite the fact Anna was discreetly rubbing his back and trying to send calming Omega pheromones in the room. Katja was still stuffing her face, Rowena seemed to be profoundly distracted yet somehow completely enthralled by the scene unfolding, and Naomi and Bartholomew were exchanging glances that could almost pass for curious on their usually expressionless faces.

When the silence started to be almost unbearable, only broken by chewing sounds from those who still were eating, Lucifer put down his fork.

“Well, I'm obviously here because my temperamental brother” Dean couldn't believe his ears, was he talking about Michael, seriously, _temperamental?_ “has no ability to manage these pack meetings, let alone his pack, and that he surrounds himself with weak, traitorous wolves,” he glanced in Dean and Bobby's direction, “and I think there’s a need for change in leadership. There’s a need for a stronger Alpha in the Novak pack, someone who could manage a pack meeting without people leaving,” Dean thought he was to choke on his saliva, “and without innocent wolves being insulted.” at that Bobby snorted, “And I can see that Michael is not that strong leader this pack and community need. He is under his Omega's thumb,” Lucifer made a gesture in Anna's direction, who narrowed her eyes in his direction, not stopping to try and soothe her Alpha, ”he hides his own brother from you because he's ashamed of him being an Omega” -wait, what?- “ Oh yes, Michael, you thought you could hide my brother FROM ME?” The blond Alpha’s voice raised thunderously, then almost immediately returned to a calm, bored tone. “Because you’re afraid you couldn't defend him from me, because you’re afraid of us, because you’re not a good Alpha.”

The room sat in stunned silence, even Gabriel. It was, without a doubt, a war declaration. Then, before anyone could respond, Lucifer and Azazel stood.

“Well, it's been fun. But I have obligations to attend to, now that I have a clearer view of the situation. So, I think we should cut this short, we'll meet all again soon enough. Mike, thank you for the hospitality, I really love this house.” He smirked as if he was already planning on living there again. “Anna, beautiful, until next time.” He winked in his brother's mate direction, who held his gaze with a murderous look.

“Bobby, Dean, I'll tell John you send your regards. Gabriel, you should remember who the fun older brother is. Think about it.” Gabriel sputtered, incredibly thrown off his game. “Others, we'll be in touch. Goodbye.”

And then, just like that, they were gone.

\---

Michael was completely stunned. A war declaration had just been put on the table, and then the challenger had simply left. That was not how things worked. This was not how Lucifer worked.

Michael considered his brother a lot of things, but not a coward. What was the point of this display? If the challenge was issued, it needed to be addressed. It was the way of the wolves, face to face, in single combat. Sure, Lucifer had tried the subtle manipulation and the going behind his back once, but this was an entirely different thing.

Anna buried her fingers in his hair and directed his face in her neck, near her mating bite. A few deep breaths were able to calm him a little. Meanwhile he could feel all the stares from the other weres present directed at him. He needed to act.

“Sooo... that was unexpected. What the fuck was that?” Gabriel's voice brought him back to the matter at hand. He stood back from his mate and observed the other Alphas and seconds.

“I have no idea.” He did have an idea, but he needed to talk about it alone with the people he trusted first.

Bobby eyed him doubtfully but kept his mouth shut.

“I... I think we should let this meeting go. We are down two packs and most of us have frequent contacts. We can keep each other posted for any change in this... unusual situation. I'm sorry, but…”

“Yeah, yeah, good thinkin'. Let's go home, folks. Adjourn or somethin'.” Bobby gruffly replied. The Singer's Alpha stood, quickly followed by the others, and left the room, leaving the Novaks behind. The last one to leave the room was Rowena, Coven's second. The petite redhead had a royal air about her, in her posture and her dress, and she turned her heavily painted eyes on him.

“He's going to prepare big things, Alpha Novak. You should too. He has Hell at his feet, but you will bring Heaven upon them. Until next time.” She bowed (just a slight nod of her head, of course) and left too, leaving three Novaks with mirroring surprise expressions in her wake.

“Ok, I know I'm repeating myself, but what the fuck was that?” Gabriel exclaimed, taking a waffle from the presenting plate and chewing on it nervously.

“I have no idea. Covens are witches, right?” Anna asked.

“Well, yes, if you believe in witches, they are,” Michael answered. “Ok, we need to talk, and we need to plan. Gabe, go tell Bobby, _discreetly_ , to not leave yet. Singer's a good and strong ally, we may need them, and if Campbell wants to play his threat, they will need us too. Anna, go find Castiel, he needs to know. Let Rachel know she should stay with the kids for the day, but not to go outside. We don't know what he’s planning.”

His mate and second nodded and complied, leaving the Alpha alone with his thoughts. He served himself another cup of tea -coffee wasn’t a great idea right now- and started to mull the information he just received.

This meeting certainly hadn’t been as dull as the previous one. They were just hours into it, and it had ended with a threat of war. It was time to prepare for a lot of apocalyptic scenarios.

Lucifer could decide to attack with his pack, but the numbers weren’t in his favor. Even if everybody in Novak's pack wasn’t a warrior, the statistics were still in their favor, as the last numbers from Morningstar were around forty wolves, less than half of the Novak's ones.

So, Lucifer was probably going to look for alliances. He must know the alliance with Singer was strong, so he was probably going to try and lure Campbell in. Christian was an imbecile and would probably go for that, but Samuel was still alive and probably keeping tight reins on his heir, so there was a chance on that side.

As Michael continued to sip on his tea and think, Gabriel came back with Bobby and Dean. Bobby sported a frown even more noticeable than his usual, and Winchester seemed preoccupied. Fair enough, the kid had had a lot on his plate in the last twelve hours.

“We’re waiting for Anna and my little brother, and then we can start planning, Bobby.”

“Yeah, shit's about to hit the fan.” replied the older Alpha, pouring himself a little cup of coffee and topping it with the entire content of a metal flask.

\---

Castiel was not, and never would be, a morning person.

The end of his academic career brought the most fantastic thing in all of his life: the freedom to get up at his own leisure without an alarm, except on rare occasions. Castiel relished this freedom and often chose to get up just in time to have a light lunch.

That Sunday morning was no different. After his activities the night before -the ones outside the house and the ones in his bed- his slumber was totally unperturbed. Even the light filtering through his curtains, the noises in the house, and even the sounds of little feet running past his door couldn’t disturb him.

It was, therefore, a surprise when a loud knock, well, several loud knocks, interrupted his sleep. He woke up with a snort and, when turning on the other side didn't resolve the annoying sound, decided to deal with the problem.

“WHAT.”

“Castiel, wake up. We have an emergency pack situation.” came Anna's voice from behind the door, the tone of it sufficiently alarming enough to force some movement in the Omega's tired body.

“What kind... how can we have a pack emergency with the pack meeting right here?” he asked to the closed door while he stood up and found a pair of sweatpants and the t-shirt he planned to wear to bed before things went in a different direction.

“Well, the kind of emergency where there is no pack meeting anymore and your Alpha has required your presence as soon as possible. You decent? I'm coming in.”

Castiel grunted, hoping the sound could be translated in the affirmative answer he was meaning to give.

Anna came into the room while Castiel was entering the bathroom and shutting the door to pee and brush his teeth.

“So, Campbell left yesterday after he went on a paranoid mindset where Winchester, Singer's second and John Winchester's son, you know, the twice banned wolf, was trying to fight him for the pack. Winchester is the grandson of the ex-Campbell's Alpha, so he could have the right to make a challenge, but after he and his family were thrown out when he was a boy, I doubt he’s interested. He said so to Campbell.”

Having relieved his bladder, Castiel opened the door to hear his sister-in-law as he tried to bring his brain up to speed and understand at least half of the information Anna was dumping on him babbling a mile a minute.

“...but Campbell freaked and said that if Bobby doesn't find another Second he’s going to interpret it as an act of aggression. Then Lucifer comes up to breakfast this morning and basically challenges your brother for the pack with bullshit excuses -he knows you're here and an Omega, by the way, I don't know how- and then leaves, just like that, with his Second. So, Michael adjourned the meeting and now he’s waiting in the dining room with the Singers so we can tackle this situation and decide what to do.”

Castiel glanced at his image in the mirror, passed his fingers in his hair, declared the situation untamable, and turned toward Anna, who was trying to tame her breathing back to normal.

“Can I come in my PJs or do I need to dress up?”

“Come as you are, Cassie. Time is of the essence.”

Castiel shrugged and exited the room following the other Omega.

As soon as he reached the front hall the same scent from the previous night assaulted his nostrils. Castiel blushed fiercely, trying to calm himself and not be caught. He realized he forgot his blockers and thought about it for exactly half a second before deciding that, if the meeting was over, his need for them was non-existent.

Every step in the direction of the dining room brought him closer to the source of the Alpha scent. He could now discern the emotions of the Alpha: concern, anger, lust? Why lust?

As Anna and Castiel entered the room passing the set of opened French-doors an interesting sight was waiting for them.

Gabriel was trying very hard not to laugh his ass off but wasn’t succeeding.

Michael had a terrified expression and exchanged worried glances with Bobby, who was currently trying to, with measured and careful movements, bring himself between the only unknown Alpha -a quick deduction named him as Winchester- and the door where Castiel and Anna were standing.

Said Alpha was, probably, the model gorgeous one Anna had been talking about. He was tall, a little bit taller than Castiel, fit with large shoulders and a slim waist, dressed in jeans and a red flannel. His hair was light brown, spiked on his head with a little bit of product. His face was beautiful, high cheekbones and perfect lips, all of it lightened by the most Alpha red eyes Castiel had ever seen.

The Alpha scent spiked even more upon seeing Castiel and he snarled as Bobby tried to put himself between the two wolves. Bobby was talking in a calming voice that didn't seem to be very effective.

Castiel could feel the time passing upon himself. He felt his skin getting tight, his breath catching, slick running down the crease of his ass, his irises turning gold. Everything happened at once, but for the Omega it was as if he was in a time bubble where everything was slowing down and the only thing that mattered was keeping eye contact with the rutting Alpha in front of him.

\---

Bobby sensed it before it started.

The moment the scent of the two Omegas reached the room, Dean stood straight as if shot with a taser. In the periphery of Bobby's vision he noted how the hair on the nape of his neck stood up, and felt before he could hear it the low growl erupting in his second's chest.

It was a matter of seconds before Dean's eyes turned red and he turned in the direction of the door. Michael looked terrified, Gabriel was a little shit, so he, of course, was laughing his ass off, and Bobby was trying to find a way to catch the attention of the younger Alpha before someone -Dean- did something very, very stupid.

“Dean, son, look at me. Look at me. You can control it, Dean. We've talked about it, kid, you are not your Alpha. You ask for permission, you don't take...” The smell of slick reached his nostrils at that point and Bobby shut up. He turned briefly to check the door and, sure enough, Anna was standing just behind a tall, lean, and beautiful male Omega -where was Cinderella all this weekend?- with golden eyes and, very obviously, starting the heat that responded to the Alpha's mating rut.

He saw as Anna tried to take her brother-in-law's hand, probably to pull the Omega and get out of the room. As soon as she moved, four voices yelled at once.

“DON'T!”

Anna lifted her hands and stopped moving.

“Right now, if Dean feels like someone is challenging him, trying to steal his Omega or endanger him, he can't be held accountable for what could happen. Nobody moves.” Michael said to his mate, in a very calm voice that was betrayed by his expression and his worried scent.

“Novak, nothing we can do here. That's true-mates shit. I'm sorry.” Bobby glanced quickly in Michael's direction, before coming back to Dean who was practically a statue, frozen. Good boy. He was trying, despite everything, to not pounce on the Omega right away.

A whimper came from behind his back and Dean drew a sharp breath in response. Bobby saw him close his eyes, shake his head to try and regain some form of sanity, before turning in Michael’s direction.

His voice was even lower than usual and a little breathless.

“Alpha Novak, I'm asking permission to court this Omega of your pack.” He managed to say through gritted teeth.

Michael looked stunned.

“How are you… Sorry. My brother is his own person, so you're going to have to ask him.”

Seeing as Dean seemed to have at least some control over the situation, Bobby took a step behind, so that he could see the two protagonists. He heard as Dean took a breath and, with a commendable restraint, looked the Omega in the eyes.

“Omega…”

“Cassie” suggested Gabriel, as Michael said “Castiel.”

“… Cas, I'm asking for your permission to court you.”

\---

  
  


Dean was finding every bit of self-restraint he didn't think he had.

Everything in him was screaming to just pounce on the beautiful Omega with the magnificent scent, bite, and draw blood. His rational brain knew it wasn't a very polite thing to do but his instincts were getting hard to resist the more seconds passed.

He was drowning in the scent of peaches, honey, rain on a summer day, and _home. Mate. Mine._ His dick was rock hard, confined in too tight jeans. He could feel his canines getting longer, as if he was trying to shift, and tried his best not to.

The Omega -Cassie, Castiel, Cas- was panting now, his chest rising and deflating quickly. His stare was like a physical touch, his Omega golden eyes open wide, his fists balled at his sides. It took a moment for Dean's question to register in those eyes and then, the Omega smirked, nodded twice, and went running out of the door.

Dean's Alpha howled -possibly Dean did too- and not even a half-second later he gave chase.

He tried not to bump into Michael's mate, he really did, but she was in the way and his restraint had snapped. He was vaguely aware of the fact that she stumbled back but wasn’t interested in her fate. The only thing in his mind was getting to his Omega, to his mate, who was running ahead of him across the mansion, leading him through rooms, stairs, hallways, and doors.

They crossed a pair of kids at a certain point and, if Dean had been in his right mind, he would have been embarrassed. But he wasn't, so he didn't.

After passing through what seemed to be the entirety of the manor, Cas lead them through a back door and continued running in the direction of the forest. While running, the Omega started to get naked and Dean took the hint, except Cas only had on a t-shirt and sweatpants -he was going commando, _holy shit_ \- while Dean had to stop several times to lose his clothes across the lawn.

As soon as he was naked, his Alpha had decided he was taking too long. In the time between a step and the other he shifted, his big wolf chasing the other man with more speed and power.

Cas glanced back and let go a delighted laugh before shifting too and entering the forest, dodging the trees and bushes, changing direction suddenly, and barking with excitement.

Dean had never been happier or more in sync with his Alpha nature. His breath was coming quickly but it was more excitement than exhaustion. The Omega running ten yards in front of him was quick, cunning, challenging, and fun, but the Alpha was not losing sight of the goal and the weight between his legs kept it well in his mind.

So, he stopped, watched his surroundings, flicked his ears to catch every sound, and prepared himself to outsmart his future mate.

\---

Castiel never had so much fun in his life. Despite the slick running between his posterior legs, despite the burning feeling in his lower abdomen, despite the fact that there was an itch he couldn't scratch, despite the fact that never, in a million years, he would have thought to actually initiate a chase and to love it.

The forest was its lively self, full of little animals, birds and bugs, sounds and smell, but Castiel couldn’t feel anything besides the smell and sounds of the Alpha behind him. The black wolf was trying to make it difficult for the brown one, changing directions, scent-marking a tree, and then running the other way, until the sounds stopped, and the scent faded.

Castiel stopped immediately, a feeling of dread in his stomach. Had his Alpha stopped the chase? Was he being rejected by his mate? He started to turn on himself, smelling the air, letting small sounds of distress leave his throat. The burn intensified in his abdomen, his chest felt too tight, and he could scent himself turn sour with despair. He tried to calm down, but the combination of finding his true mate, his mate-induced heat and the chase was reducing him to only basic instincts. His instincts were screaming at him that he had lost his mate and that the point of a chase was to be caught. He howled in misery before letting himself fall to the ground and huddling in on himself, nose between his front paws.

As soon as his body was silent, he heard a sound, a leaf cracking on the ground. Then a sniffle, a large body running in his direction. He stood up and bared his teeth toward the intruder before registering that it was the Alpha, wearing a sad expression on his muzzle. He retreated on himself and lowered his head, unwilling to watch the Alpha in the eyes.

After a beat, a cold nose was nuzzling his neck. As Castiel looked up he saw the Alpha was lowered in front of him in a penitent posture and small pleading sounds were lost in the fur of his neck. A raspy tongue was licking him, right on his scent glands, and the feeling of it made him relax a little. The Alpha caught the hint and came closer, rubbing his big and powerful body over Castiel's side, still nuzzling and licking in silent apology.

Slowly, Castiel let go. He started to scent the other wolf too, burying his nose in the thick fur of the Alpha. The smell of him was heavenly as before but muted with guilt and remorse. The Alpha was feeling bad for how the game ended and Castiel set to change it by rubbing his nose on the other's throat, nibbling and nuzzling in response to the apology he was receiving.

Soon both scents changed, becoming charged once again with desire, the pheromones of the mating-induced heat and rut starting to become prevalent again, the wolves rubbing on each other with more intent.

Castiel felt his heat flare again, his hole slick, the fire in his entrails came back. He nuzzled the Alpha, then took a step back and raised his eyes in question. A slight grin appeared on the muzzle of the brown beast and he nodded quickly, sitting down to let the Omega start again. With his tail swinging, Castiel resumed his run, this time in the direction of the house, of his bedroom.

\---

Dean had realized his error, but not quickly enough. While he was trying to run around the Omega and surprise him, his mate had felt as if he was abandoning the chase. The smell of distress he had found on Cas was almost overwhelming and, had he not been in wolf form, he would have cried and begged for forgiveness. As it was, he apologized in the only way he could, by lowering himself, nuzzling, scent marking and waiting for his Omega to understand.

As the other wolf relaxed and the heat between them started to rise again, Dean felt a bit unsure. He felt the need of doing this in human form, of being able to talk and touch and feel, but the forest at the end of November was officially too cold to roll around naked on the ground.

So, as Cas asked a silent question with his eyes, he nodded, because he felt the other wolf was having the same train of thought.

He sat, waiting for the Omega to start running again and resume the chase.

As he saw that Cas was heading to the house he smiled internally. The pace was less frantic, both wolves more careful to not lose each other instead of issuing a challenge, but the rut was flaring again in his guts as the scent of slick reached his nostrils with every sway of Cas' tail.

They finally reached the back door of the house and the Omega went in, still in wolf form. It was a fine idea, as there were kids in the house and two naked men running through the house sporting erections was probably not exactly a kid-friendly show.

As soon as they reached the stairs and Cas barreled in a room that smelled like him - _mine, mate, home_ \- he shifted again, and Dean followed suit.

The man in front of him was gorgeous. He was lean but not thin, with thick thighs that made Dean salivate. Nestled between those thighs the Omega cock stood proud and rightfully so, it wasn't the stereotypical little Omega cock. His waist was slim, framed by prominent hip bones, his chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. His shoulders were slightly less wide than Dean's, but it still gave the impression of a strong Omega. Dean's Alpha was enthralled. But more than his body was his face. An unruled mass of dark brown curls framed a strong jaw covered in dark stubble, pink, plush lips, and the bluest eyes Dean had ever seen, despite the ring of gold that still lingered on the outside of the irises. Then, with a cocky smile on those fucking fantastic lips, the Omega spoke.

“Well, Alpha, are you going to catch me?”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos, the comments, and the bookmarks. I love to see people are enjoying this story! All feedbacks make me happy!
> 
> You can seek me on twitter @artanisnaanie if you like!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue eyes stared at him for a moment in silence, the blue of the ocean, of the sky, of all of the sappy shit Dean didn’t have words for.
> 
> “Hello, Dean.”
> 
> “Heya, Cas.”
> 
> They smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Earning the E rating. Or trying to.

“Well, Alpha, are you going to catch me?”

Castiel just finished his challenge when, with an incredibly quick move, the Alpha was crowding him, his hands taking residence on the Omega’s waist and his face burying in his neck.

“Hmm… Yes.” Winchester murmured in Castiel's ear, sending a shiver down his spine. The Alpha's voice was already deep but was made deeper by the obvious arousal that was poking Castiel in the abdomen.

Castiel tilted his head to offer more room for the Alpha to nuzzle him and flung his hands up to the nape of his neck and shoulders, burying his fingers in the short hair and raking his nails on the upper back of the man to get him closer. The skin to skin contact felt wonderful and soothed lightly the burn he could feel hovering under the surface.

He still didn't know his mate's name.

“Name's Dean, by the way.” The Alpha - _Dean_ \- breathed in his neck, licking and nibbling at the juncture between neck and shoulder, where his bite would soon be.

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel responded, breathless. The smell of his Alpha was intoxicating; pine, leather, pastry, _home,_ heightened by the waves of rutting pheromones that cried lust and desire. Slick was dripping along his inner thighs and Castiel could not, for the life of him, understand why they were still standing. He stepped back without letting the Alpha go, walking towards the bed, and Dean followed.

Soon they were falling in a bundle of limbs on the unmade bed, Castiel sprawled under his Alpha’s body, legs naturally opening to make a place for Dean's hips, cocks slotting together, bodies rocking as if it was the most obvious thing in the world to do. As if they had done it all their lives. It felt like it for Castiel, like his body and the Alpha's had had centuries to know each other, to slot themselves against the other's in a perfect puzzle.

Dean supported himself on one hand and leaned back to check him out with hunger in his eyes. The Alpha’s face was flushed, his eyes -which had been _very_ green for a brief moment just after the shift- were now red, his body taut and muscled and covered with a fine layer of sweat. He was _magnificent_. Castiel followed Dean's gaze along his body, finishing at the place where their bodies came together between his legs. The sight of their cockheads slotting together, already wet, had him groaning and falling back on the pillow. The Alpha smirked -a cocky, smug thing, which unfairly only made him more attractive- and rolled his hips once again, extracting a moan from the Omega.

“Mmm, you make pretty sounds, Cas. Can't wait to hear them all.”

“You're going to have to work for them, Alpha...” breathed Castiel, linking his ankles behind Dean's back and pulling him even more against himself. One of his hands was still tangled in the Alpha's short hair, and the other was gripping the sheets as he arched his back and directed the other man's face in his neck again. He continued to rock under him, trying to find the right amount of attention on his dick.

“I plan to, Omega. I plan to discover everything about you but now,” the Alpha rolled his hips again, Castiel moaned loudly again at the friction, “now I think I'm going to taste you, fuck you, and then bite you. You ok with that?” he said directly in his ear, his breath hot, his moist tongue sliding along the shell.

Castiel shivered and nodded.

The tongue disappeared, Dean extracting himself from Castiel's limbs and sitting on his haunches between the Omega's thighs. His eyes and his hands raked down his body, sending a shiver through Castiel's spine at the attention, then he grasped behind Castiel's knees.

“Are you going to present to me, Cas?”

“ _No_.”

A flicker of amusement passed in the Alpha's eyes, who shrugged.

“Ok.”

Then he pushed Castiel's knees toward his chest, lifting his hips and exposing his hole, and dove in.

Castiel was no blushing virgin. He never bought into the sexist assumptions about Omega's priced virginity and had his fun during his college years. He was careful, on the pill -and the blockers at college-, and only slept with Beta weres -males or females- and humans. Despite his experience, nothing had ever felt like the sensation of Dean's clever tongue in his ass. It was not just the tactile feeling: it was the spike in Dean's scent as he tasted him, it was the hand that glided along his sides and his chest, it was the thumb that flicked his nipple, the low, rumbling growl that overpowered the licking sounds from between his legs, the grasp that kept him folded in half and open. It was the intimacy, the feeling of _right_ , of coming home.

As he felt more slick pouring out of his hole and sliding along his crease and his lower back, he buried his fingers in Dean's hair once again and tugged.

“Dean, Dean, stop, come here...”

The Alpha stopped immediately, raising his head and letting his legs go, a look of concern on his features. His lower face was glistening with slick and he absentmindedly cleaned himself with his hand.

“What's the matter? Is everything ok?”

Castiel surged forward, sitting up, and framed his Alpha's face with his hands.

“You kissed my ass before kissing me. I think we should do something about that.”

Dean smirked, nodded, and leaned in. He tasted like slick, obviously, honey-sweet with a hint of summer fruits, but as their lips parted and their tongues melted Castiel could taste the coffee on the Alpha's tongue as it expertly teased his and explored his mouth. Their kiss was hungry, and exploratory, and _hot_ ; it was not, however, the most refined kiss in Castiel's life. They were stripped bare of skills and thoughts, left with only the instinct to taste one another, to learn one another.

Castiel leaned back once again, pulling Dean with him and exploring the other man's back with light fingers, until he grasped his ass cheeks and pulled, rolling his hips.

“Fuck me, Alpha.”

\---

Dean was in heaven.

There was no other explanation for the sensory overload that was filling him. His sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing were all on cloud nine as they were elated by Cas.

His mate was rocking underneath him, his head tilted back, the long column of his neck in display. Dean leaned down again to capture those plush lips in another kiss, a meddling of tongues and teeth and heat.

His hand traveled along the Omega’s side, under his ass, finding his wet hole and breaching it carefully with a finger. As Cas' body welcomed it, he inserted another and watched in rapture as his mate fucked himself onto his hand, dragging their cocks one against the other in maddening friction.

Once he felt that Cas' hole was prepared enough, he tilted back a bit to take his cock in hand and direct it where it was meant to be. Just before breaching, though, a surprising moment of rationality came to him.

“Um, Cas? Condoms?”

“Wha- Oh, no, I'm on the pill, go ahead,” replied his breathless mate.

So, Dean did. There was a little resistance at first, then as he pushed- carefully, resisting the pull Cas was applying on his rear with his linked ankles- he felt Cas' body yield to him, accommodating his girth and length and he let go, bottoming in one, long thrust.

He stopped there, watching the Omega's face for signs of pain or discomfort and finding none. His mate had his eyes shut, his lower lip between his teeth, his body moving slightly almost immediately, and his entire figure was an expression of pleasure. Suddenly he was losing himself in two golden pools that stared right into his core and the deep voice he was already a bit in love with said, “Move, _Alpha_.”

The title was a challenge as much as it was primal turn on, and Dean succumbed to it.

There would be times for slow and tender lovemaking, for laziness and sweet nothings, but that was not one of them.

The two men came together with a rapid pace, long strokes and low moans.

Before long the Alpha knot was swelling and starting to catch on the Omega's rim, and Cas wedged his hand between their bodies to stroke his cock.

There was a handful of thrust and then the Omega arched his body as Dean felt a hot wetness spill on his stomach. He leaned in, nuzzling the scent gland of his mate, and without another conscious thought, bit down and drew blood.

Cas cried, in pain or ecstasy Dean didn't know, he couldn't stop, wouldn't stop. On the next movement his knot caught, and he erupted inside his mate. Castiel pulled on Dean’s hair, tugging his head to the side, and returned the bite. Everything was a blur for the next few minutes, as their bodies learned how to become in tune with each other and exist inside the other.

Their pleasure shared through the mating bond created a feedback that didn't seem to end- Cas clamping on his knot, Dean filling him with cum, both high on endorphins.

Then, slowly, things quieted.

Dean rolled on to his side, bringing Cas with him so that he didn't crush him as they waited for his knot to go down. Their lips met with tenderness and their hands roamed without purpose.

Blue eyes stared at him for a moment in silence, the blue of the ocean, of the sky, of all of the sappy shit Dean didn’t have words for.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Heya, Cas.”

They smiled.

\---

  
  


Bobby watched as the two wolves went running in a chase that was as old as time.

He was a bit shocked, to tell the truth: true mates weren’t a regular occurrence and it was rare to have the privilege to watch that kind of encounter happen. He was happy for Dean, of course, because the kid deserved some good in his life.

Dean had _issues_. Anybody with his history would have issues.

Bobby knew he had problems with his designation for a long time and he was just starting to accept that being an Alpha wasn’t an all or nothing deal. His dad did a number on him about that, with his toxic alphalinity spreading over to his boys.

Sam had adjusted quicker. The kid was twelve when they ended up in his salvage yard, completely relying on Dean for everything, from food to help with the homework, to the company. It took a little time and a bit of care to make him open up and flourish: a steady go in just one school, some friends, more variety in his diet -Dean had lots of virtues but cooking veggies, especially on a budget, wasn’t one of them- and the kid had found his place with ease.

Sam’s relationship with his father, on the other hand, took a hit and never recovered from Sam finding a better life for himself. Conflict was a daily occurrence between the two stubborn men. Sam wanted to study, John thought it was useless. Sam wanted longer hair, John thought men should have short hair. Shouts were heard from their little house on the pack's property every day, but that meant Sam resisted his father's alpha mind-fuckery as he resisted everything else from the man.

Dean was... more complicated. He wasn’t one for conflict and looked for a way to avoid it. He arrived at sixteen at Bobby's and had already had more than a life. He had worked every job he could find that accepted someone who was basically a kid. He had to learn how to cook and feed his brother when his father was working or too drunk to function. He had to learn how to drive so he could retrieve his passed-out father from dive bars all across the country. He had to learn how to keep a house -or a motel room- and keep them in livable conditions.

John had admitted to Bobby, one night soon after they arrived, that his oldest son’s designation came as a surprise. He thought the kid was going to present as Omega, because _“He nests, Bobby. What kind of Alpha does this shit?”._ Bobby thought that, probably, the kind of Alpha that needed to be the Alpha _and_ the Omega in a family was prone to do that, but he knew confronting the other man about it would be pointless.

Dean had also been thrown off by his first rut. He didn't feel like an Alpha. The only example of an Alpha was his father, and he was nothing like him (apart from the stubbornness, but that was clearly a Winchester trait). It took time, but after help from other Alphas like Bobby, Rufus, and Jody, and even other Omegas that had challenged their designations, like Missouri, he learned to accept his designation. Not that the kid had said as much, of course, but it showed.

The fact was that Dean's Alpha was a strong one. A big wolf. A natural-born leader. Bobby saw it, all of his pack saw it, everyone saw it except for Dean. Dean, who hid his shyness behind a cocky facade. Dean, who constantly belittled himself about his incompetencies. Dean who deserved a strong Omega. He deserved a partner as much as a challenger, a supporter that could also call him out on his shit. Bobby hoped the Gods and Fate had finally given him one.

“Well, that was the most interesting development in a weekend of interesting developments, don't you think?” asked Gabriel, visibly happy and sucking on a lollipop.

Anna and Michael still seemed shocked by the scene that had unfolded before their eyes. The Omega joined her Alpha and they embraced quickly, before turning to Bobby. Yeah, meet the parents, Bobby's favorite thing.

“Well, Novak, I'mma need to stay here a coupl'a days more, if it's ok with you.” The old Alpha’s voice was gruff, but he could feel the emotions -sneaky little things- rise up in his throat.

“Yes, we're going to party!” Gabriel replied, without even a glance to his Alpha, who nodded, nonetheless. “Little brother's getting mated, who would have thought? And to an Alpha! I mean, right?” The Beta turned toward his brother and sister-in-law, who finally started to smile. Ok, so not too pissed. Good.

“Yes, Gabe, that's... wow. Almost unbelievable. Good, but... weird. I never saw a true mate meeting before. The energy was incredible.” replied Michael, who was clearly regaining his footing. Anna, on the other hand, fell into a chair and poured herself a cup of tea, still looking shell-shocked.

“Your kid must be really, really strong to resist his Alpha this long, Bobby. I honestly thought we were going to witness things I'd never want to know about my little brother.” Michael sat too, taking advantage of the breakfast spread that was still out. Yeah, a second breakfast sounded good. Bobby sat too.

“He is. He had bad ruts and needed to learn how to control himself, but his father didn't believe in that kind of thing. So, I had to teach him. It wasn’t pretty at first, but I'm proud of how he did.” Coffee. Coffee was nice. Bourbon's better, but the flask was empty.

“You should be. I've heard that true-mates heats and ruts are worse than the normal ones, so to be able to control it enough to ask for consent was pretty amazing. Which is good, because Castiel probably would’ve ripped his head off otherwise.”

“Yeah, as if Cassie was in a position to deny anything to Freckles.” snorted Gabriel. “I was honestly afraid he was going to present on the spot.”

“That's gross, Gabe.”

“No, Mike, that's _romantic_ ,” Gabriel said, rolling his eyes. “So, are we gonna talk about the fact that our little brother and his adopted son” the Beta gestured at Bobby, “are having hot, hormonal sex right now, or we gonna talk about the shit-fest that went down before all this?”

\---

Michael scowled at his brother but nodded. They needed to address the Campbell and Lucifer situation, even if they were two men short.

“I'd have liked to have Castiel and Dean for this, but it really can’t wait two more days.” He exhaled and started towards the door. “We should move this to the office, we'll be more comfortable. Please follow me, Bobby.”

The older Alpha did, as did Gabriel and Anna. They crossed the entry and joined in the suite of rooms that composed Michael's office. They stopped at the first room, where several leather armchairs were situated in a circle, and sat as Michael took a glass and filled it with bourbon before offering it to Bobby. The look of gratitude under the cap was an indication it had been a good idea.

“So, that's not Lucifer's usual behavior. I think he's going to look for allies and he's going to look at Campbell first. I think we need to expect a real war, not just an Alpha challenge.”

Bobby nodded, and so did the other two. Gabriel had his grave face on, so he thought the risks were serious.

“Yes, we need to start to train the pack in basic combat, even the men that wear suits every day. If Lucy comes to war he's going to go for the weak first, we need to have none of those.” His brother replied, extracting a notebook from a pocket -so he did have something to take notes on, he just didn't want to, lazy fucker- and scribbled something on it.

“I'm going to call Ellen and let her and Sam, Dean's brother, know what's happening. I don't think the old Campbell will go for an alliance with the pack that has John, though. Especially if it's Morningstar, he never liked him.” Bobby replied, and Michael nodded. He thought so too.

“Yes, but Lucifer doesn't have the numbers to attack us on his own. His pack is full of psychotic killers, but we’re at least twice their number.”

“That we know of,” piped Gabriel.

“He probably skipped the demographic part of the meeting to keep his numbers secrets,” added Anna. His mate was relaxed in the armchair next to his, hands joined on her abdomen. She looked a lot more at ease handling this than the Castiel situation.

Michael still had his own problems wrapping his head around that.

Castiel wasn’t the kind of Omega who dreamt of true mates, or of Alphas in general. He was stubborn, independent, strong.

When he came back from college the brothers had sat in this same room and asked about his future. Castiel wanted to take a sabbatical and then go back to achieve a Masters in mythology, then maybe a Doctorate. He wanted to teach, he wanted to travel, he wanted to live on his own. He didn't want to find a mate yet, claiming he was too young -he was, Michael thought, but then corrected himself thinking how he mated Anna when they were the same age- and had too much to experience before being tied down (his words, that Anna hadn’t liked very much because they felt very judgmental to her).

This whole affair threw a serious wrench in those plans, now.

Michael hoped Winchester would be a good Alpha for his brother. He didn't know much of the man, but from what he had seen the guy was ok. And he was Bobby's son, so he probably knew how to treat an Omega right. Or anyone, really. 

Michael returned his attention to the discussion happening around him and prepared himself for a long day.

\---

They talked.

They talked about their lives, their families, their friends.

Dean told him about his father, and Cas told him about his brother.

They talked about what had happened at breakfast.

They fucked.

Then they talked more, about who they were, what they wanted. Dean discovered he just mated a very smart man and felt kind of bad about it. He knew there was nothing to do for the kind of cosmic bond they had, but to drag a genius into his mechanic routine was kind of a bummer. That, he didn't talk about.

He talked about his car, his music. Cas talked about his passion for Greek mythology, and Dean listened enraptured. They never made it sound like that in school.

They fucked, again, as their cycles flared and made it useless to resist.

They talked about books they liked and found some solid common ground.

They play wrestled, tickling each other until they were breathless with laughter.

They spent the day in bed, tangled together. Cas left the bed at some point to retrieve a tray with food and water which was left on the other side of his door. They ate and talked about what food they liked and disliked. Dean was happy to know his mate loved burgers, which apparently made him very happy, but a little less happy to find out that he was also a kale lover. Cas wasn’t as much as a cook and seemed impressed when Dean said he usually cooked for his entire family more or less every two days, like it was a big deal.

They laughed at each other’s imitations of their relatives.

They caressed each other, kissed each other, licked, bit, sucked each other off.

Dean discovered the parts of Cas' body that made him tick. Cas found the same spots on Dean’s body.

They fucked again, then fell asleep still linked together.

Dean felt as if it was the most restful night of his life.

\---

Castiel woke up slowly and early, despite his habits. A hot body embraced him from behind, a hand splayed on his belly, soft snores in his ear, and a very prominent erection poking at his ass.

Castiel had never spent a heat with anyone and had never had sex with an Alpha, so the soreness he felt was foreign to him. Foreign was also the feeling that he should do it all over again, despite the soreness and the fact that he could already feel his mating heat ebbing away.

The previous day had been a blur.

Castiel didn’t believe in true mates. He thought they were a myth, a romantic trope for badly written novels. He believed that people loved each other and made their best to be successful in relationships, not that somehow the universe or the gods, in which he didn't believe, dumped your perfect match right on your lap.

Well, those beliefs were a little bruised, now.

First of all, he had never experienced a heat this fast, this strong and this... bizarre. It was nothing like his normal hormonal cycle, it was a whirlwind of emotions and sensations that came and went and left him breathless. The need for sex had been strong, but just as much had been the need for intimacy, for knowledge, for closeness.

Then he had the occasion, in between flares of physical need, to get to know his mate, and of course the guy was perfect. Very smart, but not smug about it -on the contrary, Castiel felt as if Dean didn't think he was smart-, with good taste in literature, music, and movies -except for Doctor Sexy, but everyone had guilty pleasures, right?

Dean was a family man, who thrived in taking care of others, his brother first of all. He talked about his brother with obvious pride in his eyes and excitement in his tone, explaining how Sam was going to college nearby, where he had a full-ride scholarship in pre-law.

Dean was a good Alpha, asking for consent, and checking for comfort during sex, caring about the cleaning and the eating after that.

Dean was a bit shy and didn't seem to handle emotional talks very well. He talked about his father, but in order to do it he had needed to hide his face from Castiel.

Dean was beautiful and bright, and was, at the moment, sleepily rubbing his erection on the crease of Castiel's ass.

The Omega smiled, rubbing back, even if his rational brain knew he should change this course of action before the soreness transformed a nice moment in an unpleasant one.

He turned in the Alpha's arms and rubbed his lips along the other's neck. He slid along Dean's body, pausing at the nipples to lick and bite them. First thing he discovered about his mate: perky and sensitive nipples. Castiel continued his downward path until he had a mouth (and a hand) full of thick Alpha cock.

Dean groaned above him and tangled his fingers in his hair, pulling a little. First thing the Alpha discovered about him: he had a bit of a kink for hair pulling. Dean thrust upwards sluggishly, and Castiel let him, licking at the head when the Alpha let it go a little.

“Good morning to you too, babe... mmm, fuck!”

Castiel smiled around the girth in his mouth and applied himself to the task, bobbing, swirling his tongue, poking at the slit, letting his saliva smooth the movements of his hand and gaining speed. Soon enough the pull in his hair became almost painful, the muscles in the abdomen of his Alpha went taut and a flood of bitter and slightly salty cum filled his mouth as he massaged the knot at the base with his fingers, milking him as if it had been in his ass.

“Come here...” he heard and complied. He slid back up his mate's body and kissed him chastely, because morning blowjobs were one thing, bad morning breath was another. The fact that they were mated for life wasn’t an excuse for avoiding common courtesy.

He rubbed his own erection on Dean's belly and moaned softly. Dean smirked and pushed him until he was sitting on his waist.

“Touch yourself for me, Cas,” he said, his voice rough with sleep and pleasure, his eyes still half-lidded and dark, as his hands roamed along his thighs, sides, and arms.

So, Cas did.

It wasn't showy, but it wasn't perfunctory either. He touched himself as he liked to when he was alone, teasing himself a little with changing speed, rubbing his leaking hole along the happy trail on which he sat. He enjoyed the look of lust on his mate's face, the concentration in the line between his eyebrows, the feeling Dean was drinking him in, the half muttered words that spurred him on, and came with a low moan all across the Alpha's chest.

He leaned in for another closed-lip kiss, nuzzling a bit along his mating bite (which had already scabbed, and which some weird part of him thought was really sexy), and stood with a smile.

“Come on, Alpha, we need to shower and then find out if the world has ended yet.”

Dean grunted but nodded and stood too, following him to the bathroom for a shower that was more cuddling than washing, the last parenthesis of calm before facing the tempest.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo.. this was my first attempt at writing smut and so I beg for forgiveness if it's not really good. I'll do better!
> 
> Thank you for your comments and kudos, they keep me going!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We were relieved that you had the sense to take it out of our sight, however... Well, Gabriel was a bit disappointed, but Bobby and I were very appreciative,” Michael teased.

Monday morning, the couple appeared in the kitchen after everyone's breakfast. Michael was already there with Rachel giving her a list of things he needed for the office before she went to do the weekly grocery run. 

They looked a little rumpled still, hair wet and sticking in every direction, twin mating marks on display at the juncture of their necks and shoulders, but they looked happy. Soft, even, which was not an adjective Michael thought he would ever be associating with his little brother, who usually came across as tough. So, Michael allowed himself to relax.

“Hello Castiel, Dean... I'm guessing you're hungry?” Michael turned in Rachel's direction, who was already extracting leftovers from the fridge and turning on the coffee maker. 

Dean was... blushing? while Castiel just shrugged, a dopey smile on his lips. They sat at the kitchen table where quite a nice breakfast was coming together (Rachel was such a pearl, he should see if he could give her a raise), leaning slightly on one another. It was weird and Michael was a little uncomfortable, but it was also nice to see.

He stayed for another cup of coffee and let the silence be filled with the sounds of people eating quietly, -Dean had resumed his gargantuan eating habit the Novak's Alpha witnessed the day before- trying to observe the couple without being too invasive. 

They looked good together. They were well balanced in height and build, even if Dean was a bit taller and fuller at the shoulders, which was accentuated by the fact that he's wearing one of Castiel's t-shirts that was a bit snug on him. They didn't seem to be very interested in personal space, and as Castiel stole pieces of bacon from Dean's plate, the Alpha checked him in the shoulder with a teasing smile. Then he looked in Michael's direction, schooling his features with a bit of a struggle, and started to talk.

“So, um, wh- what did we miss? Sorry 'bout that, by the way.” The Alpha said rubbing the back of his neck in an embarrassed gesture. Time to clear the air.

“You have nothing to apologize for. I was very impressed by your self-control and I never thought I would get to witness such a thing, so...” Michael smiled in the couple's direction, and it was time for Castiel to blush a little. “Besides, it's not like you could have managed it more than you have. We were relieved that you had the sense to take it out of our sight, however... Well, Gabriel was a bit disappointed, but Bobby and I were very appreciative,” he teased.

Castiel snorted around a mouthful of coffee, causing it to go the wrong way and he coughed for a moment while Dean patted him on the back, laughter in his eyes. 

“But yes, there are some things that we need to discuss with you, about what went down during the meeting and about what went down between the two of you. Want to talk about it now or should we call for a family meeting?”

The deep voice of his brother answered him.

“Let's do it with everyone, so we don't have to do it more than once. We will finish here and go pack, so, let's say for lunch?”

“Packing already, little brother?” Michael smirked. 

“Well, yes.” Castiel scowled. “We... we discussed it. Dean can't leave his job and I can study where I want, so...”

The Novak's Alpha was having conflicting emotions. On one hand he was sad and a little worried about his baby brother, fourteen years younger than him, leaving his family and the house he grew up in. On the other hand he was very happy to see that, even in the midst of a true-mates mating, the two had taken the time to discuss things and reach a logical arrangement. Honestly, Michael had thought the two had just fucked for twenty-four hours without interruptions, but that didn't seem to be the case.

“Yeah, Cas can attend college where my brother’s at, or enroll in online courses, whatever he prefers. I really can't leave the garage. Bobby's getting old -don't tell him I said this- and he needs the help.” The look on Dean's face could almost be defined as pleading, as if he feared that Michael could do something about it.

“It's ok, Dean. I understand. Just... come and visit sometimes, yes? The kids will miss their uncle.”

Castiel smiled ruefully, the thought of his nephew and niece probably a painful one in the wake of his departure. “We agreed on spending one weekend a month here at least, so you're not going to get rid of me that easily,” he winked at his older brother.

“Good. Well, I'm going to leave you to your preparations, but I think you should go and introduce yourself to Bobby before lunch. Just to make things less awkward.” He winked back as he stood, nodded a goodbye in Dean's direction, and left a somewhat sheepish Omega and his laughing mate behind.

\---

So far, the second half of the weekend had gone well for Bobby. 

Sunday was spent theorizing and making plans for the pack's fate, talking to Ellen and Sam (and Rufus, and Jody -who was in charge of the security of the pack and the Sheriff of their little town-, and Jo -who was complaining about something something Sam something hair-) and enjoying the hospitality of the Novak pack in the form of food, drinks and a very fine cigar Gabriel offered him at the end of the day.

Ellen had taken Dean's mating in stride, as she did with everything. She was already making plans to set up the little cabin at the edge of Bobby's property, the same one John had occupied when he first came to the pack. The boys had left it four years ago, when their father was banned, to join the rest of the family in the big house on the salvage yard, but it seemed fit for a newly mated couple. They would have the time to make it truly theirs: for now, it only mattered that the water, electricity, and internet worked and the sheets were clean.

Bobby actually didn't know if the boys had planned to come back to Singer's pack; the preparation was wishful thinking on his and Ellen's part. He didn't know how he could manage things without Dean, but maybe he should think about it. Or not. Denial was a strong suit of the Singer's Alpha.

Sam had howled in laughter at Bobby's retelling of the scene and was absolutely devastated to not have seen it; Jo had hung up, so everything went as well as expected.

That morning the Alpha was lounging on a sofa in Novak's family den and watching the television. Some dumbass was discussing the amazing virtues of avocados in the diet, conveniently forgetting to mention that the avocado culture was draining considerable amounts of water all over the country it was produced in, and Bobby was getting pissed by the hippy half-truths. Whatever. He was good with meat, bread, and corn, so.

He heard and smelled the couple before he saw them as they joined him in the den. Dean snorted watching what was on the tv, then sat on an armchair in front of him. The youngest Novak remained standing, oscillating awkwardly between his two feet. Bobby smirked internally and let the silence stretch, filled only by the dumbass explaining how to make guacamole -yeah, 'cause that takes a genius, dumbass-.

Dean reacted first.

“Oh, come on old man, don't be an ass.”

“Who, me? What d'ya need, princess, an invitation?” he raised an eyebrow in the direction of his adopted son.

“Ass. So, Cas, that's Bobby Singer, my Alpha, my employer, my landlord, and my adoptive father. Also, he occasionally likes to be an ass. Bobby, that's Castiel Novak, my mate.” Dean scowled at Bobby first, then beamed at the Omega, who was nervously twisting the hem of his shirt between his fingers. 

“Nice to meet you, Alpha Singer.” The kid's voice was a deep rumble that seemed to rasp his throat on its way out.

“Yeah, well, let's cut the crap. I'm Bobby to you kid, you're family now. So, programs?” Bobby saw Novak lift his eyes to him with a surprised expression, then turning to Dean who just shrugged, the corner of his mouth curving lightly. Dean called Castiel towards him with a gesture and the Omega gingerly sat on the armrest next to him. Dean immediately put his hand on his mate's knee with a relieved sigh and Bobby felt a wave of fondness wash over him. This was good.

“Well, we were going to pack our stuff and have lunch with everyone so you can catch us up to speed with yesterday's shitshow. Then we were hoping we could rent Dad's cabin, if it's ok with you, Alpha.” Dean asked, uncharacteristically grave. 

“Ellen's already on it, idjit. Go pack your stuff, your lovey-dopey faces are giving me diabetes.” 

The couple smiled brightly, nodded, and left at once. Bobby resumed his previous activity, cursing the television cooking guy who was now explaining how to do ice cream with avocados. What the hell.

\---

Castiel was still a bit shocked from the meeting with Bobby. The Alpha was gruff, abrasive, and didn't seem very polite, but he gave away a lingering feeling of softness. Dean had told him a lot of things about his father figure, but he had a hard time putting together what had been told and what he had seen. 

They went to Dean's room first, because the Alpha's duffle was the easiest thing to pack. They finished in minutes, even though Castiel snickered about the artificial slick bottle hidden in the back pocket for a long time.

“You were only going to be gone two days Dean, two days!”

“Hey, don't judge, I have needs. And I didn't use it, it's just... toothbrush, toothpaste, hair wax, lube. Travel staples.” The Alpha shrugged, seemingly unashamed, but the freckles stood a bit more on his flushed cheeks.

“I never thought of including lube as a travel staple.”

“Dude, you produce lube, ya don't need it.”

Castiel thought about it for a handful of seconds, then shrugged.

“Fair enough.”

When they finished with Dean's room -Dean insisted on stripping the bed and cleaning the bathroom and _did not like it_ when Castiel suggested Rachel could do it- they went up to Castiel's room.

There was a lot more to do here. Suitcases were opened on the bed and filled to the brim with clothes. Bags of toiletries were packed, boxes were filled with books. Dean demonstrated a certain talent for organization and didn't complain once, even when Castiel packed a truly hideous painting made by Samandriel when he was four. He did pause, though, when Castiel tried to be inconspicuous about packing his heat toys in a box. The silence alarmed him while he was rummaging in the last drawer of his dresser -until that moment, Dean had been humming some song or other- and, when he turned, he saw a really interested Alpha peering over him and into the drawer.

“You were going to hide that from me, babe?”

“Well... I was trying to, yes.” The omega blushed, at being discovered and at the term of endearment that flowed naturally from his mate's lips.

“Why?” Dean's tone was curious, and his scent didn't spike with hurt, so Castiel shrugged.

“Because it's embarrassing, Dean.”

“No, it's hot. But go ahead and pack them, I'll see them when we unpack at home.” The Alpha's lips quirked up in that sexy smirk of his and Castiel felt himself react. How it was possible, he didn't know. He’d never had such a strong physical reaction to anyone before, where just a look or a smile could make him wet. He shot his mate a dirty look. Dean laughed and leaned in to put his lips beside his ear. 

“And maybe then I'll show you mine. Pack, Cas.” 

Castiel shuddered and closed his eyes, taking a calming breath that didn't calm him at all since the air was already filled with Dean's scent, tinged with an underlying tone of lust. Gritting his teeth he watched as Dean stood up and continued to pack his things, doing the same and patting himself on the back for the self-restraint exhibited by not ravishing the Alpha right there.

They finished packing fairly quickly and brought all of Castiel's stuff to Bobby's trunk and Castiel's car, where they miraculously fit.

They leaned against the car for a moment and Dean snuggled Castiel against his side. They stayed silent, as the Omega looked at what had been his home all his life; he didn't think, coming back six months ago, that he would be leaving this soon. It was bittersweet: on one hand Castiel was happy to start his new life and get to know his mate and his family, on the other hand he was really sad to leave his own. He turned toward Dean and found that he was watching him, a fond smile on his lips. He leaned to catch them in a soft kiss, lingering just a bit, soaking up the warm feeling of his Alpha's lips on his own. Neither of them took it further, knowing it was not the time or the place and that they'll have a lifetime to do that. 

Then they stood and went to lunch.

\---

Dean needed to shake himself out of the thirsty state he was in, at least for the sake of lunch with the Novak's family. He was able to control his scent at least, but that was no easy feat. Cas was sex on legs, from his looks to his scent, his voice, his fucking blush, his brain. The bottom drawer had been an exercise in self-denial, but the anticipation was playing games on him.

Nevertheless, he had to put his head back in the game. The game of meeting the family of his mate and the game of following whatever serious topics that needed to be discussed at the table.

When they joined the dining room everybody was already there, because _of course they were._

The table was elegantly dressed, with more forks for each person that was needed for the whole table, and Dean suppressed a groan. Fine dining was not his forte: he had been raised by John Winchester and Bobby Singer, for fuck's sake, he thought the fact that he knew how to use a fork at all was nothing short of a miracle.

Cas must have felt his discomfort because he stopped, turned around, and tilted his head just so Dean could bow and take a whiff of his mate's scent, which had since yesterday changed a bit, melting with his own. It was reassuring, sure, but even better was the soft murmur in his ear: “Do as I do and it'll be fine.” This bonding-mind-melt was not totally in tune, yet, but was still pretty awesome. He smiled, nodded, and stood back, before reaching his seat. He felt the curious glances from the other Novaks but decided to try and ignore them.

“Well, guys, yours must have been the shortest mating period in the history of true mates! I thought you were going to bang for at least a week, I mean, we bet, I lost money!” Gabriel exclaimed as soon as they were sitting.

“Really, Gabe? Who won?” Answered Castiel, seeming not put off by the crassness of the remark. But, Dean thought, if you had to live with Gabriel Novak as a brother, you probably were well used to these kinds of things.

“Someone who didn't have the faith I had.” Gabriel glanced at Bobby, who was sporting a very slight and nearly invisible smug smile. “But I can see that my faith was wrongly put in you. I'm disappointed, little brother.” he tutted in Cas direction, who just shrugged. Dean inserted himself in the conversation.

“We knew there was work to do. We'll postpone the honeymoon for when there's time.”

“How sensible of you. But where's the passion, the romance, the fierceness of a true mating, I ask? You offer us such a display and then.. pfffff like a pierced balloon. Kind of an anticlimax. Disappointing.” Gabriel shrugged.

“If you want a recap of yesterday, I may have some pict-”

“Dean, no.” Cas stopped him with a hand on his forearm, gripping. “He'll never leave you alone if he thinks it’s true.”

Gabriel's eyes were, in fact, shining with mischief. Almost creepy and downright scary.

“Do you, little Alpha? Oh, that's gonna be good!”

“Gabe, you are not going to look for erotic pictures of our brother.” Michael interrupted with an amused smile on his lips. Anna was full-on laughing.

“Oh, come on, Mike, you're no fun! Anna, how do you put up with him?”

“Well, he does this thing with his...”

This time it was Gabriel and Dean that laughed, while Castiel made a disgusted sound and Michael put, a bit forcefully, his hand on his mate's mouth.

“Ok, that's enough, _we have guests._ I think we should address the real matter at hand. So, here's what happening.”

During the lunch, Dean found out that both Novak and Singer's packs were organizing as if at war. Supplies had been ordered, self-defense courses organized, and a complete check on Novak's part to see who was the idiot and/or piece of shit that had outed Castiel to Lucifer. Gabriel was also working to see if it was possible to obtain more information on the Morningstar pack -it seemed like undercover and stealth work were his strong suit and Dean couldn’t picture, for the life of him, how a boisterous man like that could be subtle in any way-. Bobby on the other hand was trying to connect with some sources in the Campbell pack, to see if anything was going on up there. Dean felt like he was in a secret service meeting.

As soon as the lunch table was cleared from the undoubtedly delicious meal, they prepared to leave. Cas went upstairs to leave two of his t-shirts in his nephew and niece's room (as an apology for leaving while they were at school) then came back downstairs to say his goodbyes.

Michael made them promise to come at least once a month and Gabriel threatened to come to see them at least once every two weeks. Anna cried. Gabriel ate two lollipops so fast Dean had to ask if he took the time to actually suck on them. The salacious glint in his brother-in-law's eyes made him think it was probably not the right question to ask. Cas saved him from the inevitable reply engulfing his brother in a hug and murmuring something in his ear, which made Gabriel howl in laughter. When the Omega stood back he wore a proud smile.

Michael hugged Cas and leaned in to scent him, which awakened in Dean a possessive instinct he didn't know he had. He stomped it down because that was so not the moment to be an over-jealous asshole over his brother's mate, for fuck's sake. But this mating thing was still weird, it would take a bit of time to figure it all out.

Once the goodbyes were said -Dean waved a bit awkwardly because, while this was his new family, he still didn't feel like hugging perfect strangers yet- Bobby went to his trunk grumbling about being alone for the ride back, but Dean knew he was only being a little shit about it. 

He and Cas got in the Omega's car -a blue city car, the most anonymous car in the entire world, Dean already hated it with a passion and missed his Baby so much-, and Cas didn't even glance at him before entering the driver's side. 

“No, you're not driving. My car, my rules.”

Dean shrugged. “Ok Cas, but just remember that when you see my car, ‘cause the rules are the same, but she’s a real beauty and you're gonna be sorry.”

Cas laughed and put the car in gear. Seconds later they were leaving Novak's castle behind them and driving the two hours that separated them from home.

Well, two and a half. There was an absolutely necessary half-hour pause in there, somewhere.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for your kudos, bookmarks, and comments, they absolutely keep me going even in these days when writing seems just a very useless hobby.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We are never, never, never, NEVER talking about it. Never. Unless you want me to look for yours, because I know you have some of the same, Bradbury. I know you.”

Sam was downright psyched about the return of his brother.

It had only been three days but it could’ve been a lifetime. In three days Dean had basically caused a war (or at least a minor squabble), and found a mate in one of the most influential families of weres there was.

In the meantime, Sam had worked on his finals before winter break, which was, to the surprise of no one, a very less interesting way to spend his weekend, but it needed to be done. One failed exam and his full-ride scholarship would be gone, and since they didn't have the money to keep him in college without it, his dreams of being a lawyer would be gone too. Not happening. So, he kept up with his studies, burying himself in books and taking pauses only to eat, pee, and talk to his family.

When Bobby had called with the big news, Sam was astonished. He never thought his brother would take a mate so young... well, correct that, he never thought his brother would take a mate, period. Dean was not the committed type of Alpha or, at least, hadn't been until now. He was more of the one-night-stand type and spent almost all weekend nights out of the house. Sam tried not to judge but knew he wasn't always successful. 

It's not like he had a problem with casual sex per se, not really. He had a problem with the fact that he thought Dean used it as a way to prevent people from getting to know him because he thought he wasn't good enough. And he had a problem with the fact that this was deeply ingrained shit caused by their biological father. 

While Sam had always been able to see through the bullshit spewed by John Winchester, Dean had never had the same talent. Said bullshit took root in him and forged his sense of self and _that_ , Sam had difficulty accepting. His brother was a good person, a good Alpha, a good brother, but he was pinned down by deeply rooted insecurities. Sam hoped this unprogrammed and surprise mating would be good for him.

Sam's Monday was spent in class, as was almost every Monday in the last two years. He met with friends for lunch -mostly wolves, but some humans too-, studied in the library for a few hours and drove back to the pack with his friend Kevin. Kevin was an Omega with a _slightly_ overbearing Alpha mother and was thriving in his first year of college (double majoring in maths and ancient languages). The guy was excessively smart. 

They talked about the news on the way back, of course. Gossip had done its job and everybody in the pack knew about the second's mating. 

“So, what do you know?” Sam could feel the curious stare from Kevin even while he was focused on the road.

“Well, not so much. The guy's name is Castiel, he's Alpha Novak's little brother and an Omega. True mating. They managed to not fuck in front of everyone. That's about it, Bobby hadn't met the guy before, so...”

“Who would’ve thought? Dean Winchester, man-slut extraordinaire, mated. To an Omega guy. I figured him more of a Beta woman guy, you know?” Kevin mused.

Sam snorted in reply. “Yeah, no. His Alpha needs balance, so it makes sense that he found an Omega. Let's just hope the dude has a spine.”

“Hey, that's a very sexist assumption coming from you!” His friend replied, a bit of hurt in his usually mellow, citrusy scent.

“I”m sorry! I wasn't implying...” a glare from his friend made him pause. “Really, I wasn't! It's not the fact that he's an Omega, just that he's Dean's mate! I mean...”

“Listen, Sam, they’re true mates. It's likely that the Gods, destiny, or whatever, picked a good match for your brother, so stop worrying.” Kevin waved in the direction of his face. “Yes, yes, you're doing your worried face. You haven't even met the guy and you're already all worked up.”

“Are you, mister I-am-anxious-about-whether-to-eat-cheerios-or-cornflakes-for breakfast, telling me to quit worrying? Are you serious right now?” Sam replied, face slack in disbelief.

“Hey, don't make fun of me about my anxiety, that's not cool! But yes, it's exactly what I'm doing. Have a little faith, come on.”

Sam sighed. He knew he was projecting and Kevin was right pointing it out. It was just that he hoped this Novak guy was not a little, meek Omega who would be crushed by his brother's Alpha. Maybe he would be a little shy, or... spiraling again. Stop. He took a long, deep breath, glanced at Kevin who was smiling smugly, frowned at him, and stopped in front of his house.

“Thanks for the life lessons, Kevin Solo.”

“You're welcome, young padawan. Now go and meet your brother's half.”

“Say hello to Linda for me.”

“Will do. Say hello to Jo for me.”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, sure. If I see her, she's been in her room since Bobby called her with the news.”

“That bad, uh?”

“Well, you know her.” Jo, Ellen's daughter and Winchesters' adoptive sister, had the biggest crush on Dean since forever. Dean never encouraged her but she didn't let it bring her down. Her confrontation with reality was going to be difficult.

“Yeah, I do. Say hello all the same. See you tomorrow, seven-thirty?”

“Sure. Have a good evening.”

Kevin waved and jumped off the car. Sam arrived at the big house minutes later and saw that Bobby's trunk and a new city car - _gods, Dean must hate that already_ \- were parked in front of it.

Bracing himself he went up the stairs and entered the mayhem.

\---

When they arrived at Bobby's house, Castiel was a bit intimidated. The idea of meeting Dean's family and, especially, to be liked by them, was daunting. 

This insecurity had been squashed right away when a red fireball squealed opening the door and jumped in Dean's arms. Castiel had been too stunned to react -and maybe it was for the best if the low growl he could feel in his throat was anything to go by, his newfound possessiveness not caring one bit that the attacker was an Alpha herself- before said fireball jumped in his arms too and hugged him with no qualms whatsoever about personal space. 

“Hi, you must be Castiel! I'm Charlie, this dork's bestie!”

“Red, what are you doing here?” Dean scowled. 

“What do you think? I'm here to meet _your mate_ and help you pack!” she answered, obviously considering it the most normal thing to do. Maybe it was. Castiel didn't know. “Come inside, Ellen is dying to see you!”

“That's my home, Char, I don't need an invitation to come in!”

“Not for long, Harrison, not for long!” Charlie sing-songed, preceding them inside.

A corridor led to a kitchen to the right and a living room at the end and the three of them turned in the kitchen. Bobby was sitting at the table, a beer in his hand, while a woman with brown eyes and hair looked at him with a scary and disapproving face. Castiel felt his nerves spiking again and Dean, probably sensing them, put a reassuring hand on the small of his back and leaned a bit against him. 

“Hello, boys. You have trouble with traffic?” The woman -Ellen, he presumed- asked with a smirk. 

“Something like that, yes.” Dean shrugged and Castiel blushed. He didn't think he ever blushed before meeting Dean. It was embarrassing.

Ellen came forward and extended her hand, which Cas caught between his own. The stern look had melted in a fond expression.

“You must be Castiel, I'm Ellen. Welcome to our pack and our house. If you need some help managing your mate, you come to me. I'm an expert.” She smirked again, glancing at the Alpha, who scowled.

“Thank you, Ellen, but I'm pretty confident I'll be good at that job.” He smirked in return and saw Dean frown harder in the corner of his eye. 

Ellen and Charlie laughed and he thought he could actually see a little smile on Bobby's lips: he'd take the win.

Before the women stopped laughing Dean was already leading him by the hand up the stairs shouting “We're going to pack!”.

Dean's room was small, with a single bed in a corner, a dresser, and a chair covered in dirty clothes. Concert posters decorated the walls, mostly from bands that were dead long before the two of them were born. The bed was covered in colorful pillows, quilts, and blankets: if Castiel hadn't already been a close acquaintance of the Alpha's knot, he would have mistaken it for an Omega's nest.

Dean rubbed his neck in what Castiel had quickly learned was an expression of embarrassment and gestured to his room.

“So... there's that. I don't have a lot of stuff, so we should be quick. I... I'm going to start with the clothes, you do the books?”

Castiel smiled and leaned for a quick kiss, then nodded and went to work.

They made quick work of it, indeed. The Alpha possessed little belongings, even considering his quite impressive flannel collection. Some pairs of jeans, more worn t-shirts than relatively new ones, two pairs of boots and a pair of sneakers, some sweatpants. 

The books he had were worn too, read multiple times, frayed at the edges. Some had the tag from a public library and Castiel didn’t want to think about the fee Dean would have to pay to return them.

The Alpha had a very nice record player, a vintage one, that came with a quite impressive vinyl collection, mostly music from the seventies and the eighties. It needed some more variety, but Castiel could get behind rainy afternoons spent listening to Zeppelin or Pink Floyd.

They packed the posters, and Castiel thought they would look better with a proper frame than just taped to the wall. 

Just as they were finishing the dresser and the bookshelves Charlie stormed in the room.

“Wow, they sent _me_ up to check on you because they thought you were fucking, but you're actually packing! Color me impressed!”

Castiel looked at Dean, who shrugged. He didn't understand why everyone just assumed they were unable to function without having sex every two minutes: it's not like they didn't want to, but they had some sense of priorities, and sex in their own bed, and their little house, sounded a lot more fun than a quick fuck in the parents' house. 

“Now that you know we're not christening the bed, are you going to help?” Dean asked, sighing.

\---

Charlie answered quickly.

“Of course, even if I can see you're almost finished! So, what's left?”

Charlie was _so happy_. She had been since the text from Sam the day before, where he announced to almost all of the pack that his brother was mated. She forgave Dean for not telling her himself, because of course, she forgave him, it's not like one can pause a mating to text his best friend with the news. 

Charlie had been Dean's bestie since the young Alpha arrived in the pack. They were the same age, went to the same school, were both not completely at ease with their secondary genders, Dean because his father treated him like an Omega and filled his head of crap about how to be an Alpha and Charlie because she liked girls. Alpha girls. Not really the standard alphaness. They met in English class in sophomore year and never parted ways since: they shared a lot of interests and their friendship made them share more. 

Right now all she wanted was to take Dean by his ear and pull him aside and have everything told to her. Everything. How did this happen? How did he feel? How was the sex? How was the guy? Everything. She was so disappointed to have missed seeing that live, though. A proper true mates meeting was the stuff of fairy tales or smutty fiction, rarely a true occurrence in real life. 

So she took the time to observe the couple as they continued to pack Dean's stuff: they moved around each other with an impressive familiarity. It was weird to think they had known each other for only a day: they seemed completely oblivious of her presence, as their touches lingered against a hand, a hip, a shoulder. They leaned against each other often, to scent and reassure, to feel the other existing in the same space as them. Charlie watched it all with her heart singing for his friend: that was what he deserved, something good and easy, something to not overthink about. A true mating was probably the only way for Dean to accept this kind of presence in his life, because he couldn't refuse such a gift from the universe.

She pretended to do something, in between stealing glances at the pair. She bent over the nightstand and started to go over the things on it and in the drawers when a loud voice said “DON'T!”.

Too late. 

While the first drawer contained mostly phone chargers and rubbish, the second one... the second one contained the best gift that has ever been gifted to a best friend for teasing purposes. 

Toys. Sex toys. Charlie looked up at Dean and found his face red with embarrassment. Castiel loomed over her shoulder to see what the fuss was about and then laughed. He laughed so hard he needed to grasp his sides with his hands, then laughed harder when he caught the frown on Dean's face.

“That's... that's karma, Dean. Karma.” He managed to say between fits of laughter.

Charlie started laughing too, because laughter is always contagious, especially when so loud. Dean scowled harder at the both of them. He pointed a finger at her.

“We are never, never, never, NEVER talking about it. Never. Unless you want me to look for yours, because I know you have some of the same, Bradbury. I know you.”

“Well, of course, I have, but the glass dildo is honestly surprising...”

“NEVER talking about it with you, Red. Got it?”

Castiel was trying to compose himself between giggles and brushed his eyes with a hand to clean them up from tears. He went to Dean then, and hugged him tightly, whispering something in his ear Charlie couldn't make up. Dean frowned again, then relaxed in his mate's embrace and leaned in to scent his neck. It was a more intimate sight than the contents of the drawer and Charlie felt a bit embarrassed to witness it. She cleared her throat and they got the message, releasing each other. 

“Step away, Char, I'm gonna do it. Can you finish up the movies with Cas, please?”

She nodded and went to the shelf that contained Dean's most prized DVDs, so mostly the ones she had given to him. She could hear Dean mutter something under his breath while he cleaned the nightstand, and saw the amused smile on Cas' lips, and thought everything was going to be fine.

\---

Dean was _mortified_. It’s one thing to share your kinks, fantasies, and toys with a partner -with a _mate_ -, but sharing some things with his best friend was just _wrong,_ not to mention he would probably never hear the end of it. Never. When they would be old and grey Charlie would probably still make fun of his fucking glass dildo. 

Cas still had an amused smile on his lips and Dean sighed, finishing packing the things in his nightstand -which didn't only contain sex toys, thank you very much- and then he looked around at his bare room. Everything he owned was now inside boxes and duffle bags and he was ready to go. He caught the soft smile on Cas' lips as his mate also looked around at the now packed room, both ready to go home and start something new.

The three of them went downstairs to fill Baby with his belongings, and Dean positively preened when his mate admired his beautiful black '67 Chevy Impala.

“Cas, this is Baby. She's a lady, treat her good.” he winked at Cas, who smiled. 

“I can see that. I can also see that you treat her really well. Is she my competition for your affections?” Cas asked cheekily.

“No, of course, nobody's Baby's competition.” He answered, shrugging, and Cas laughed. 

They quickly packed all the boxes in the trunk and back seat, then went back inside and sat on the couch in the den. 

Charlie and Ellen were in the kitchen, gesturing wildly about something or another, while Bobby was watching a telenovela in Spanish, looking riveted. Dean tugged Cas by the shoulder, making him lean against him and settled to watch the television for a bit, waiting for some orders from the kitchen.

As Cas just melted against him -it was crazy how much Dean reveled in physical touch, like it was feeding him- a sour, muted smell invaded the living room. Cas sneezed, Jo appeared in front of them and Dean sighed. Right, there was that.

“Hi, Joanna, how are you? Let me introduce you to my mate, Castiel. Cas, this is my little sister, Jo.”

Dean had warned Cas about Jo and her unending crush on him, so the guy wasn't too shocked by the look of absolute hatred that came his way. Eighteen years old and a stare that could kill, this one.

“Hello, Jo, Dean told me a lot about you.”

Jo grunted, narrowing her eyes even more. A quick “Jo!” came from Bobby's armchair, but it didn't seem to be very effective on the young Beta.

“When would he have had the time to talk about me, he's known you for less than two days.”

“Well, we had a lot of time to talk in the last two days, enough to cover the essentials. So, are you going to continue to behave like a brat, or are we going to come to an understanding?” Cas answered, eerily calm while he addressed the elephant in the room as if it were a bug. 

Dean heard two sharp intakes of breath coming from the now otherwise silent kitchen and saw Bobby's lips curl a little upward. His pack's Alpha had already had the pleasure to witness Cas being very straightforward and almost brash, but the others were obviously surprised. 

Cas was not, Dean had discovered in the past 36 hours, a meek Omega. He spoke his mind with few embellishments, gave his opinion and assumed it would be heard, didn't lower his head in front of anyone, and held stares like he was paid for it. 

So Dean could understand the surprise of his family members when the Omega mate they had built in their heads crashed against the reality of Castiel.

“I don't know what you're talking about.” Gritted Jo through her teeth, once she could speak again.

“Ok, so, we’re going to do this the hard way. That's fine.” Cas shrugged, then framed Dean's face between his hands and kissed him like it was going out of style, and absolutely not how one should kiss in front of their new family. 

He heard Jo stomping away, Ellen calling her, Charlie cackling, and the door opening all at once, but he was too preoccupied with the lips on his and the tongue in his mouth to care about all that.

A new voice pulled him back to the present.

“Whoa, that's so gross. Don't you have a room?”

\---

Bobby grunted, because the only fucking thing he asked for was to watch his telenovela in peace for half an hour after this weekend of madness. But no, of course he couldn't have even that. 

He understood the Omega's need to cause a scene. He’d known of his daughter's crush for years, but nothing he or her mother could say to try and dissuade Jo had ever been effective, and there was only one way to finally imprint the truth into her thick Beta's skull: have her see it for herself. 

The boy had also been kind enough to offer her a way out, even if he probably knew she wouldn't take it, if Dean had been thorough with his explanations. 

So, he understood. The spectacle was kind of excessive from his point of view, but they also were newly mated, and for the most part, had been very good at keeping the public displays of affection to a minimum.

Bobby watched, as Charlie continued to laugh her head off in the doorframe of the kitchen, at the sight of Jo stomping up the stairs trying to make as much noise as possible. Ellen, with a frustrated sigh, followed and called for her. Sam, of course, had chosen that moment to walk into the chaos with a bewildered expression. 

Sam's eyes fell directly on the intertwined figures of his brother and his mate, and he groaned, which made Bobby stifle a laugh.

“Whoa, that's so gross. Don't you have a room?”

The arrival of his brother seemed to startle Dean, who distanced himself from his Omega just enough to lift his eyes on his giant little brother.

“Oh, hey Sammy... sorry about that. Cas had a message to pass on...” Dean smirked, not at all embarrassed, and Bobby was sure, even a bit proud of his mate. Said mate, on the contrary, was now flaming red in the face, and hastily stood up. The Omega looked sheepishly in the pack's Alpha's direction and Bobby nodded once to signify his overall approval. He saw Castiel exhale, then turn himself towards Sam and extended his hand.

“Hello, Sam. I'm Castiel, your brother's mate.”

Sam shook his hand with his overgrown one and smiled at his brother in law, but Bobby could see something was bothering the kid. Some weirdness in his smile, perhaps. _Hmm, what was that about_.

Dean beamed in the direction of the two, clearly not reading the situation as Bobby did. He was probably so happy to see his brother and his mate together that he didn't feel the slight unease that was developing.

Before any of them could say something else, Ellen came back, frustration written all over her face, and called the kids to the kitchen to help. Thank the gods for that. He had still ten minutes of his show to watch in blessed silence.

“Bobby, you need to go upstairs.”

Well, there you go. No show for him tonight. 

Bobby reluctantly shut his tv off and went in the direction of Jo's room for a talk.

\---

Castiel was a little taken aback by Sam. 

His size, for one, was impressive. He towered over everyone else, and while Castiel always thought of himself as tall -he was, for all intents and purposes, especially for an Omega- he felt incredibly small standing next to the giant in front of him. 

Second, the force of his handshake was almost painful and Castiel didn't know what to make of that. It felt like a warning, but it was contradicted by the friendly smile, which was betrayed by the assessing hazel eyes, and the Omega was left feeling wrong-footed. Luckily Ellen came down at that moment and summoned all of them in the kitchen to help.

Dean guided him with a hand on his back, and Castiel was grateful for the point of contact. Every time Dean touched him he felt as if everything was right again. He leaned into the touch and turned to whisper in his Alpha's ear.

“You remember I don't know how to cook for shit, right?”

Dean smirked, nodded, and guided him to the kitchen table, where some potatoes were waiting to be peeled. That he could do.

Putting himself to work, he found in himself the courage to speak to Ellen.

“Ellen, I wanted to say I'm sorry about the scene...”

The Beta snorted.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, boy. When someone goes looking for trouble, it's just fine that they find it. If she wants to have any kind of relationship with her brother” she nodded in Dean's direction, who nodded in return “she needs to put her head on straight and stop being, as you said, a brat.”

Castiel was relieved to hear that.

When Dean told him the day before, between rounds of sex, that his adoptive sister had a crush on him, he didn't sugarcoat it. Didn't play it like was just any crush from a stupid teenager. Castiel knew, therefore, that it was a big deal for Jo and something that bothered Dean a lot, even if he probably didn't let it show too much. And while a side of Castiel, who understood the horrible situation of crushing on someone already paired, wanted to be sympathetic with Jo, his newfound possessiveness and his need to make things really clear, real fast, had him act like he had. He didn't feel bad about it, not really. His Omega's instincts had felt it was a very good thing, displaying his ownership like that in front of the competition, even if his rational brain knew it wasn't _truly_ a competition.

He glanced at Dean, who was watching him with fire in his eyes. His scent was a little muted by the presence of the others and the food cooking, but the expression on his face was a promise Castiel couldn't wait to see delivered.

“So, um, that was for Jo?” Sam interrupted his musings and sat in front of him with another peeler.

“...yes. I would have preferred some rational discussion, but she was offered the choice and didn't pick the right one.” Castiel shrugged because now was not the moment to let his insecurities about what he had just done show. The light kiss on the edge of his forehead left by Dean in passing went a long way in reassuring him.

“Jo and logical choices, two parallel lines.” Replied Sam. “So, Castiel, tell me more about yourself.”

\---

Sam wanted to knock his head on the table. _Tell me more about yourself_ , as if it was a job interview, for gods' sake.

The strange expression on the guy's face clearly told him that Castiel too thought it was a little odd, and the twin snort from Charlie and Dean confirmed it.

“Well, my name is Castiel Novak, I have a bachelor’s degree in ancient history, I’m currently on sabbatical before going for a master in mythology, my favorite meal is burgers, and I'm a virgin.”

Sam choked on his spit, Dean howled in laughter, and Castiel smirked.

“I meant it's my zodiac sign, of course.” The Omega lifted an eyebrow, which gave him an air of command Sam found very odd knowing the guy was, in fact, an Omega. Kevin's words came to mind, and Sam found himself questioning whether he was, admittedly, being sexist again.

He watched as Dean, still laughing, approached Castiel and bent to nuzzle at his neck, right on the mating bite Sam hadn't noticed yet. His brother-in-law sighed, a soft smile on his lips, and tilted his head a little more. After a couple of seconds, Dean stood up again and turned back to the stove. 

“So, Sammy, have any more smart questions to ask?”

“Well, he could ask about the nightst-” piped Charlie, just to be interrupted by a very pissed off looking Alpha.

“We said never, Bradbury. Ne-ver. I will destroy you.” Dean pointed at his friend with his trembling finger.

Sam didn't understand anything about the exchange, but the giggling Omega in front of him told him it was probably something very embarrassing for his brother and very funny for anyone else.

Charlie rolled her eyes but dropped the matter, and the chatting started again, this time including everyone and not just focusing on the new addition.

They talked about the meeting, and Sam laughed as Dean told them about the types of characters that were present, forgetting for a moment about the fact that they were probably at war.

Charlie talked about her new girlfriend Dorothy, a reporter, and Sam talked about the girl, Jess, from school, who was human and very pretty and smart.

Castiel talked about his siblings and his nephews, and Sam wondered how Novak's family could’ve sprouted such different kinds of people.

Ellen listened to her kids talk, finishing the dinner preparations.

When the table was set and the meal placed on the table, Bobby and Jo came back, with Jo sitting next to Sam without a word. She didn’t need to say anything though, her red eyes, forlorn expression, hair in disarray, and scent soured with rage and pain spoke enough for her.

The youngest Alpha squeezed her hand briefly under the table in reassurance. There was nothing else to do, and besides, she had to grow up sometime and deal with it. Still, Sam didn't want her to feel as if he was angry with her.

The moment passed, and he dove into the pot roast and roasted potatoes, with a healthy side of salad, of course.

\---

Charlie ached to pat the back of Jo's head- roughly. The girl was so... stupid, sometimes. Stubborn. Entitled. Castiel had it right on the nose when he called her a brat. 

But Jo was also a smart, pretty, funny, and kind girl, usually. Charlie liked her as one likes their youngest sibling, with fondness tinged with annoyance, and the annoyance rose every time Dean was involved. The poor guy had been rebuffing her advances since the Beta was fourteen years old, and it had gotten old fast. Dean shouldered it with a smile and pretended it didn't affect him, but Charlie knew all the Singer's family dynamics were affected by it.

The Alpha woman was honestly impressed with Castiel. The guy was fearless and dove right in, even if the situation was potentially harmful. He stood his ground and held his head high, and in a house with four Alphas, the simple fact that he wasn’t lowering his eyes in front of everyone, spoke of his strong character. Charlie liked him very much. Besides, even if she didn't like neither boys or Omegas, she could admit he was dreamy, with those big blue eyes and unruly dark hair.

She had the feeling, though, that Sam was having some trouble accepting his brother's new status. The boy was young still, only twenty, and his big brain didn't make up for the lack of experiences. She wondered what his problem was... Was it the fact that Cas was a man? Sam should’ve known better by now. Was it because he was an Omega? His best friend Kevin Tran was an Omega, for gods' sake. Was it... she didn't know. She would have to corner the boy some time to make him spill the beans, because just like Jo, he needed a reality check real fast if he wanted to be happy for Dean.

Because Dean was happy, it was so clear to Charlie it almost hurt. She never, in the last eight years of friendship, saw him as... light as he was tonight. He laughed, and talked, and had actual manners as he ate. Dean’s chair was pressed against his mate's, some parts of them always in contact. It was like a huge weight was just lifted from his shoulders since he mated the Omega. Now that she thought of it, it probably was. The weight of finding someone. The weight to live up to the expectations. It was gone because Dean knew, as everyone knew, that he had been given the one person that would accept him as he was. Charlie couldn't wait to see her friend flourish. And she should definitely see how the guy was at Dungeons and Dragons. She could already see him as a cleric. Yeah. Half-Elf. They were going to have so much fun.

\---

Dean enjoyed the meal, despite Jo's sulkiness and the feeling that Sammy was trying too hard to wrap his head around Cas. Maybe his brother needed some time. In just 36 hours, after all, Dean's life had changed and dragged all his family into it. He was going to leave his family home to build something new. He wasn't going to be here every night, cooking for Bobby and Sam when Ellen and Jo worked. He wasn't going to spend his weekday nights testing Sam on his exams. He wasn't going to pick up Sam's laundry. Now that he thought about it, maybe he had spoiled his brother a little. Maybe. Well, time to grow up now.

They all cleaned up when they were done eating, still joyfully chatting -except for Jo, who disappeared as soon as her plate was empty, still not ready to behave like an adult- and soon settled quietly in the living room for a round of celebratory scotch. 

Dean's eyes widened when Bobby stood up and raised his glass.

“Well, I don't do too good with the feelings, talking crap, as you all know, but Ellen threatened me if I didn't make an effort and she’s scary, again, as you all know.” They all laughed and Dean saw the mirth dancing in the eyes of the usually stern-looking Beta that was like a mother to him. 

“Castiel, my mate and I wanted to welcome you into our family. I know you’ll fit in just fine with us, just keep being yourself and not who you think people want you to be.” Dean lowered his eyes and felt Bobby's on him. That was a lesson he was still trying to learn. Cas' hand sneaked between his own, clasped in front of his lap, and squeezed slightly. 

“Yes, yes, I'm still talking, woman, for gods' sake! Princess, take care of your mate and be a good Alpha.” Dean rolled his eyes at the term and the utter lack of fantasy in his Alpha's speech, then smiled, because he knew Bobby was doing his best. Ellen, probably just fed up with the oratory talents of her mate, piped in.

“Our house is always open for the both of you, and Sunday dinners are _not_ canceled and still mandatory.” She pointed an accusing finger to Dean, who lifted his hands in a surrendering position. “If you need something for the house, call. I bought some groceries for the next few days. Dean, you'll have three days off work to settle in.” Dean was glad Ellen had taken over, because of course her speech was _so much more heartfelt_. He nodded. “There are clean linens and towels and what are you laughing at, old man?” 

Bobby was trying very hard to be inconspicuous, but Dean could see him shake with barely suppressed laughter. When called out, he let go. 

“And you... were berating me... because my speech had no feelings!!!”

Soon they were all laughing, Ellen included. They finished their glasses then and stood up. Dean hugged Ellen, patted Bobby on the shoulder and gained a glowering stare from him, then hugged his brother tightly. Cas, mostly, waved. Good to know he was not the only one a bit uncomfortable with hugging the in-laws. 

They went out with Charlie and they hugged her near her horrible yellow car -not hugging Charlie was, obviously, not an option even for his mate- then reached their cars and left to their new house. Dean couldn't wait to finally have his Omega all to himself again. Weird that you could miss someone who was beside you all day. Dean needed to scent him properly, smell himself on his mate, kiss him without worrying about prying eyes or interruptions, feel him against, around, inside of him. Well, conversations awaited.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo.. Welcome to some new players, Sam and Charlie! Charlie has been my favorite character to write so far, I love her so much!
> 
> Let me know what you think and I really thank you for the comments, kudos, bookmarks, and subscriptions! They really keep me going!
> 
> And thanks again to Crushed, without whom nothing of it would exists.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was... tiny. Well, Castiel was aware that he was a lucky man, having lived in a very, very big house all his life, so the cabin was probably just normal-sized, but to him, it felt tiny.

Castiel exited his car in front of a little house that looked more like a cabin. One story, pointy roof, a porch in front. He retrieved his bag of essentials (pajamas, basic toiletries, phone charger, the book he was currently reading these days) and waited in front of the three stairs that climbed the porch for Dean, who was retrieving the same type of baggage from his car. 

Dean's car was a thing of beauty. A black, shiny, massive muscle car the size of a pool, with an engine that purred a loud sound that reverberated around it like an echo. He didn't know a thing about cars -if they worked and carried him from one place to another it was all good for him- but he could understand the fascination for some particularly beautiful models like this one. 

It was an especially dark night, the only illumination was from the sliver of moonlight, and a splatter of stars in the sky. He turned on the flashlight on his phone to help guide him and watched as his mate walked towards him, his bow legs shifting in the thin glow. He looked exhausted, and Castiel could relate: the day had been long, full of events and people.

The Alpha extracted a key from his jacket pocket and opened the door with the help of the light from Castiel's phone. As soon as they were inside, the Omega sighed gratefully: the cabin was deliciously warm, a wood stove in the corner of the living room welcomed them. Dean lit up the room and Castiel could finally take a look at his new home.

It was... tiny. Well, Castiel was aware that he was a lucky man, having lived in a very, very big house all his life, so the cabin was probably just normal-sized, but to him it felt tiny. The living room was wide enough to host a three-person couch (brown, leather, worn, comfortable-looking) and an armchair in front of the television (big, rather new) that was anchored to the right wall. The stove was in the farthest right corner from the door, near the little kitchen. A table with four chairs completed the furniture. The walls were bare, the windows curtain-less, but the place was very clean and tidy. The kitchen, despite being small, had all the necessary appliances in a bright silver coloring. 

On his left a passage guided him towards the night side of the house, with two bedrooms and a bathroom (with a bath, nice). One of the bedrooms had two bare single beds, and the other was furnished with a queen-sized bed, two nightstands, a closet, and a dresser. The remaining space was enough to walk around the bed, but not by much. Castiel put his bag on the dresser and came back to the living room, where Dean was feeding the stove some wood. He didn't look up at him.

“Yeah, well, so... that's it. I'm sorry it isn't very big or nice but...” Dean stammered, still not turning, kneeling in front of the stove. His voice was small and Castiel felt like shit. He leaned to touch his shoulder.

“Dean, look at me please?” he pleaded, feeling relieved when the Alpha stood and turned in his direction, even if his eyes were still cast downwards. Castiel took his mate's face in his hands and directed it up, until Dean's eyes bore into his own. 

“First, the house is nice, Dean. Warm and furnished and we'll make it our own with time. I may be a bit spoiled,” he smiled, caressing Dean's cheeks with his thumbs, “but I know we'll make this house a home and I don't care for its size. It has all we need and that's all that matters. Want a drink?” Castiel leaned to peck his mate's lips, trying to reassure his fears without being dishonest. Yes, the house was little. Yes, it was bare. Yes, in a few days, it would feel like home. 

Dean shook his head between his palms. 

“I need a shower, then I think we should sleep, babe. We have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow and I'll be honest, I'm beat.”

“Shower together?” Castiel smirked. The Alpha answering smile was tired but honest.

“Sure.”

They went to their bedroom and retrieved their toiletries, then gave each other a bit of space in the bathroom. This mating thing was, objectively, weird. It was being in the middle of being married for twenty years, with a mind-blowing simplicity, and being together for two days, with all the awkwardness that comes with it. 

Castiel did his thing first, feeling self-conscious about the time he was taking to pee and wash his teeth. He thought he was actually pretty spoiled, seldom having to share a bathroom in his life. When he came out, though, Dean looked unbothered and took his place whistling. After a few minutes he called for Castiel to join him in the shower, so Castiel did. 

They spent some time lathering each other with tender touches, rinsing the shampoo from their hair, and quietly enjoying their nudity. It seemed like it had been days since they were so close, even if it was just since that morning. Heat stirred in Castiel's belly and, from the look of it, in Dean's too, but when the Omega closed his fingers around the Alpha's length, Dean shook his head. 

“Shower sex is complicated, Cas... let's go to bed.” 

A bubble of laughter rose from Castiel's throat, because his brain was, in fact, conjuring all kinds of accidents that could happen while having sex in the shower, and he nodded. They dried themselves perfunctorily, didn't bother with pajamas, and fell in the bed, each one of them naturally choosing a side without discussion. 

Castiel rolled on his side and Dean did the same, and then there were hands in hair, and tongues on lips, intertwined legs and rubbing skin. 

The Omega felt himself go slick and moaned quietly at the sensation of his mate's hands on his buttocks, in his hair, on his neck, caressing without urgency. It went nowhere and, a few minutes later, hands stilled, breaths slowed, and Castiel fell asleep in Dean's arms, lulled to sleep by the feeling of safety his mate's scent provided.

\---

Dean woke up early. He didn't have to see the clock to know it. It was still pitch black outside, not even the first tease of dawn in the sky. He settled himself more comfortably (as in he pulled Cas more flush against himself) and tried to go back to sleep, but his brain refused. Too many things to think about.

He was grateful for the cabin, he absolutely was. He had lived there before and knew the house well, from its plumbing problems when it rained to how to work the woodstove to achieve the right temperature in all the rooms. It was a bit weird to sleep in his father's room, but four years was enough time to abate the feelings about that. 

The cabin was nice, clean, and comfortable. Bare, yes, because it was the job of the inhabitants to make it a _home_. When he lived there with Sam and their father there were paintings on the walls and books on the shelves, and there would be again in a little time. 

But Dean was, despite the rational reasoning, uncomfortable. He had taken Castiel from a fucking castle where you could lose yourself between the kitchen and the toilet and brought him in a house the entire surface was just a bit larger than the Omega's room at home.

Yes, it had everything they needed, but it was a noticeable downgrade on living arrangements for his mate, and Dean couldn't avoid feeling as if he was already failing at this mating thing. 

He sighed quietly, the hair on Cas' nape tickling his lips. 

He also felt terribly guilty for falling asleep the night before. What kind of Alpha falls asleep with his Omega ready and willing in his arms? A bad one, that's what kind, and he always knew he was a bad one. All day they did their best to resist their instinct to be proper in the company of their families, letting anticipation run high, and then... nothing. Dean had just fallen like a stone, lips on Cas' and one hand on his ass. 

He knew he was tired, he just didn't think he was _that_ tired! 

But the day had been emotionally exhausting: lots of talking, lots of drama - _damn it, Jo_ -, the hopes of being liked by the Novaks and of Cas being liked by Sam, Charlie and Ellen, the move, the fucking mini house... his whole life changed in a day and it was a lot. 

He could feel his scent souring, even if he couldn't scent himself. 

But then there was a warm body pressed against him, and lean fingers caressing his forearm that was circling Cas' midsection. The Omega leaned his neck back a bit, just enough for his lips to touch the soft skin of his mate's nape. He kissed it slowly, letting his tongue linger behind Cas' ear, then along the side of his neck to reach the mating mark and press a firmer, open-mouthed kiss. 

He risked a glance at Cas, even if the room was still almost completely dark. His Omega's eyes were closed, his head tilted slightly, his lips parted. He looked like he was still sleeping, but his speeding breath betrayed the illusion. 

Dean splayed his hand on Cas' belly and rubbed it up and down, lazily.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

“Mmm” was the only response, but Dean was good with that. He continued to kiss his mate's nape and caress his belly, going lower at each pass, playing with the thin treasure trail with his fingers, rubbing his foot along the other's ankle. Everything was sleepy, languid and soft, even if his cock was losing the soft part and starting to poke at his mate's backside. Cas rolled his hips towards him, and Dean let a groan go. 

His hand went lower still, to find the Omega's dick hard, too, and he circled it without much pressure, still drowsy. Cas started to roll, forward towards the circle of his fingers, backward towards his cock. Dean left Cas's length for a moment -the sound coming from Cas made it clear the Omega didn’t think it was a good idea- to adjust his shaft between his mate's cheeks, where the slick pouring from his hole made the slide all the more delicious. He moaned, and started rocking too, taking again Cas' dick in his hand. 

The scent invading his nose was mouthwatering, the sweetness of the honey taking a tinge of citrus from the Omega's arousal. 

Soon Cas started to moan too, eyes still closed; one of his hands went to double Dean's one on his cock while the other buried itself in the Alpha's hair and tugged. Dean let Cas stroke his dick and lifted the Omega's leg, making space to find his hole with the head of his dick and push, slowly, inside the slick and velvety heat of his mate. 

Things became a little frantic after that, the laziness replaced by urgency, the drowsiness abating the more the pleasure spiked in the two. Dean felt his knot inflating quickly but didn't really care; Cas was speeding his hand and his hips, still not verbal except for the moans and whimpers that left his lips, so Dean adjusted to his wordless requests.

“Harder, babe? You going to come for me, cover your hand while I fill you?”

Cas nodded, eyes squeezed shut, shuddering at his words, and Dean smirked against his neck.

“Yeah, Cas, come on, let go, come for me...”

Cas did. And as Cas did, he squeezed Dean's knot and the Alpha tumbled in the abyss with him.

It took them several minutes to come to. Dean basked in the feeling of being locked with his mate, then slowly basked in the light that was coming from the windows, the scent of sated Omega, the warmth between their bodies, and the breath that was slowly returning to normal. 

Cas' nape was sweaty in front of his nose and his scent was therefore more potent, more encompassing. He took a profound breath.

“Hello, Dean.” The rumble of Cas' voice startled him from his almost meditative state, and he smiled.

“Hey Cas... sleep well?”

“Very.”

A moment of silence fell.

“Want to tell me why I woke up scenting vinegar instead of pastry?” Cas' tone was curious, his scent relaxed, his body welcoming. Dean sighed.

“I'm sorry for falling asleep yesterday. I... I didn't realize I was so tired. I should have..”

“Hush.” The Omega was definitive, leaving no room for dissent. “We were both tired. It had been a truly taxing day and I fell asleep too, I think I fell asleep before you, so... There's nothing to be sorry about.”

“Yes, but...” Dean tried.

“No buts, Dean. Sex is not an obligation or a duty. We were tired, we slept, we woke up and look what happened. Everything's fine.”

Cas' hand petted his arm, his thigh, his ass, his neck, everything he could reach. Dean buried his nose in his mate's neck and inhaled.

“That... that's not all,” he mumbled from there.

“I thought so,” Cas hummed.

“I'm sorry you're slumming it here with me.” There, he said it. More muffled it between Cas' shoulder and throat, but said it all the same.

Cas tensed in his arms and his hand stopped. Dean drew back, trying to give the guy as much space as possible, considering that his cock was still buried in the other's ass.

Cas relaxed again and tried to turn his head as much as possible to look at him in the eyes. His face was hard, his eyes were bright, that impossible blue somber like the sky when a storm is coming, bright from the light that was coming from behind their backs.

“I am _not_ slumming it with you.” His voice, too, resonated like thunder. “I'm here because I was meant to be here. I'm here with you, and I don't care if we live in a closet or a mansion or even under a tree. You're home, Dean. It's sometimes hard to wrap my head around it because I rationally know we've known each other barely three days, but that much was clear as soon as I scented you the first time: you're home, and so home is where I am with you.”

Of course the fucking universe would give him an emotionally competent mate, of fucking course. 

Dean lowered his eyes and swallowed around the emotions that were climbing up his throat. His knot went down and he disengaged from his mate, who took the opportunity to fully turn around and put his hands on his cheeks, rubbing gently with his thumbs.

It was weird to fall in love in barely three days, right?

“It's just that... I've seen your house, Cas. The entire cabin could practically fit in your bedroom. I... I want to take care of you and I just feel I'm already doing it wrong, and it's barely been seventy hours. I don't make much, I'm just a mechanic, and I fear that you'll regret the comforts you had before and resent me for that,” he whispered, forcing the words out as if they were hurting him in passing. The thumbs never stopped rubbing his cheeks. He didn't look Cas in the eyes.

“I don't care about comforts, Dean. I mean, I'm a spoiled kid,” Dean snorted at the smile in his mate's voice “so of course I care about them but they are comforts. Luxuries. Not necessities. We have all our life to build our own comforts, our little luxuries. We don't need to have the same as someone else and we don't need them now. Now we need a rinse -we have running water, hot even-, some coffee, breakfast -we have a full fridge, Ellen said-, and we need the time to unpack our stuff and start to make this house our home. Wanna go?”

Dean lifted his eyes and met the very blue, very bright ones of his Omega. He nodded, disentangled himself from Cas and the comforter, and stood up as Cas did the same.

“Ah and, just so you know, I’m usually not much of an early riser. The two last days have been a fluke. Don't count on it.”

Dean laughed at the grumpy tone of his Omega and went for a small peck on his lips. 

“Sure, sunshine. Now go take a shower, I'll start breakfast.”

“You better, if you want to eat something edible,” Cas replied going, nude and unashamed, to the bathroom.

\---

Castiel took his phone with him and put on some music, because, well, little house, shared bathroom, morning ablutions, and awkwardness. 

He did his thing and returned to the bedroom to dress in a worn t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants: they had work to do and he wasn’t going to constrict himself in a pair of slim-fit jeans to move boxes all day.

When he walked into the kitchen, a delicious aroma of coffee, bacon, and eggs awaited him. The table was dressed with more food than one could need in the morning: there was orange juice, a selection of tea, toast, butter, honey, sugar, cream, milk, cereal, muesli, yogurt, and fruit. Castiel watched Dean, bewildered.

“Are we waiting for thirty people to join us for breakfast?”

“Hm, what? Oh, no, I just... I don't know what you like for breakfast, so I thought I should offer you some choices,” Dean answered, a bit sweaty, dressed similarly as him.

Castiel laughed, a throaty thing that came straight from his belly. “Ok, ok. Just so you know, I usually eat very little in the morning, and I drink coffee, black. But some days, like I think today, I indulge in a salty breakfast, so eggs and bacon are a really, really good option.” He walked towards his mate to kiss him soundly. Dean looked a bit embarrassed still.

“Why don't you go take your shower while I clean that up a bit and then we can eat? What do you want me to keep?” 

Dean leaned in his embrace and muttered a brief “OJ” before disappearing in the bathroom.

Castiel picked up the useless items from the table and started checking the cabinets to find a place for everything. Once he did, he cleaned the stove a bit, served the eggs and bacon on plates, and washed the pan. He answered messages from his family and Balth, all asking him how things were going, then puttered around in the living room, starting to think about how they could infuse some life in those walls. 

When Dean emerged from the bedroom, freshly showered but dressed the same as before, they sat and ate, talking idly about a list of things to do in the house.

They cleaned up after, then went to their cars to retrieve their things, Dean muttering insults to Castiel's car all the while, and Castiel finding it very funny. He didn't retaliate though, because he had a feeling his mate wouldn’t appreciate him making fun of his Baby. And because, in all honesty, there was nothing to mock.

They started with the clothes first, doing quick work of them. The hardest part was thinking about where to put the empty suitcases, then they decided to store them in the closet of the guest room. They passed on the books and had fun organizing those, discussing at length about the opportunity to put them by author, title, or theme. They did all of that, theme, author, and title, and found that they both were quite anal-retentive about it. The same went for the records and the movies. Dean's record player took a place of honor in the middle of the bookshelf, and when they figured out they needed more place upon it to make it work they demolished half their work to move the shelf upside and give it room, then put everything inside again. 

They made cheese sandwiches for lunch, eating them while working. In the middle of the afternoon, as the sun started to set, they deemed themselves satisfied, dressed a bit -unsurprisingly Dean chose jeans and flannel, Castiel went for a pair of dark skinny jeans and an old Journey concert shirt of Dean’s, which granted him a heavy, possessive look from his mate- and went to the general store near the town to buy some things. They ended up having a pillow fight in the pillow alley, bought too many blankets, some frames for posters and pictures, a vase just in case, blue curtains and bedding for the bedroom, and sage green items for the living room. The guest room they decided to leave bare as it was, they would have the time to think about it later.

Castiel also took a bright red apron for Dean, and Dean chose them matching grey, fluffy robes. 

They came back to the cabin with Baby full to the brim and their bank accounts a little more empty, but at the end of the day, as Dean put together a simple spaghetti dish, the house looked a bit more like home. 

\---

The following day was the administrative one. They went to the city hall to register their mating, to the bank to organize their bank accounts -Dean found out that Cas had a nice chunk of money from a trust fund, but they agreed on keeping it in a separate account just in case-, then they made a wide tour of the neighborhood so Cas could get a feeling of his new town and pack.

The Singer's pack lived in a little town just outside the larger city, where Sam's college was situated. They depended on the city for central administration, but as for all the were communities, they had large autonomy. They had their police station with Jody Mills as sheriff and a guy named Doug as deputy, they had their doctor -Linda Tran, Kevin's mother-, their veterinarian, Roadhouse, garage, even their own motel. 

Humans rarely bothered to come into town unless they had some business to attend to, most of the time at Singer's garage. Dean drove Baby to said garage, to present Cas to his colleagues. Ash and Garth patted the Alpha on the shoulder but, clever men that they were, stayed the fuck away from his mate, limiting themselves to a smile and a nod. 

Dean showed Cas his last work to date, a classic Volkswagen van that was retrieving its original look, losing not only the rust but also the awful graffiti someone with no taste painted on at least two decades prior. Cas looked enthralled by the van, walking around it and admiring the work Dean had already done.

“So when you told me you were a mechanic, you strongly undersold yourself.” The Omega looked at him straight in the eyes, a hint of challenge in his gaze. Dean rubbed his neck.

“Well, no, I am a mechanic, I just specialize in classic car restorations..” His voice lowered in front of the stare he was subjected to. Ash snickered behind him, the son of a bitch.

“Of course. It's like saying you're a cook and then finding you work in a two Michelin star restaurant, but yeah, it's just the same.” Dean felt his cheeks go red and glared a bit at his mate in return. Cas' eyes rolled, but he relented. Ash was still laughing, but, thank the gods, he didn't say anything.

They went to the office to say hello to Bobby, who was as usual submerged in paperwork. The pack Alpha grunted an acknowledgment and then an affirmative answer when Dean asked if he wanted them to fetch him lunch. Translating grunts had always been a skill of Dean's.

For lunch, Dean was torn. They could go to the Roadhouse, but he didn't know if Jo would be there and he didn't want to make a scene in public this soon. On the other end the bakery sandwiches were not the best. When proposed with the choice, Cas blushed a bit and chose the bakery. Dean understood that his mate didn't exclude, in fact, the possibility of a public scene.

At the bakery Dean and Cas were greeted by Andy, stoned as usual, and bought three sandwiches and three slices of apple pie. Dean was, honestly, growing tired of eating sandwiches for lunch, and was already planning what to eat for dinner. 

Their afternoon went fast, meeting people until Dean could feel in his soul that his mate was drained by the day. They went home and spent the evening on the couch, introducing each other to their favorite shows. 

\---

“So... are we going to speak about the glass dildo or does the 'never talking about this again' list apply to me too?” Castiel asked the third morning, apropos of nothing. He was curious, sue him. 

The Alpha almost choked on his eggs -they were having breakfast, or, more precisely, Dean was having breakfast as Cas sipped his second cup of coffee- and turned a beautiful reddish color that enhanced his freckles and Cas liked very much to see that look on him. He hid his smirk in the rim of his mug.

“Of course the list doesn’t apply to you, Cas, but... now?” 

Castiel shrugged. “Why not now?”

Dean stared at him for a moment, then sighed, lowering his gaze and started eating again.

“What do you want to know?” he asked around a mouth full of bacon. Castiel had learned, in the past days, that table manners weren’t Dean's biggest priority.

“Well, I expected fleshlights, or other rut helps, but not a dildo...”

“Dildos. I have more than one.” Dean muttered.

“Hm. So, were they forgotten by other players?”

“No.” Dean's gaze was confused. “No, they're mine. Why would I have someone else's toys?”

“Well, why would an Alpha have dildos?” Castiel asked, a bit confused himself. 

“Well, that's pretty narrow-minded, Cas,” Dean smirked, finishing his plate at last. 

Castiel blushed under the accusation. He was very open minded, thank you very much! He... he just honestly thought (and was taught) that Alpha males, with their big dicks and their knots, topped without exceptions. Before seeing the toys in Dean's drawer, the Omega never thought there was another possibility. He expected to find... he didn't know, bondage gear? Handcuffs? More synthetic slick? Things that were more Alpha, not penetration devices.

Dean snorted, clearly watching his face traveling through embarrassment and guilt.

“You ever topped, Cas?”

“Well, yes... I... I...” Gods talking about his previous sex life with his mate was weirdly complicated. Dean waited because he apparently decided to be a little shit. 

“Yes. I had sex with women and other Omegas and I got my dick wet, why?” Yes, crass. Crass was the solution for embarrassment, maybe.

Dean laughed, unperturbed by his language. “And it was nice, right?”

Castiel shrugged, but the tilt of amusement and openness in his mate's eyes made him honest. “Yes. Well, everything is nice, I think.”

“There's your answer. Listen, I grew up with a father that thought I would present as an Omega. When my first rut hit, he had prepared a box of heat aids. They... weren't helpful at the time, but then I got curious. So, I tried, and I liked it.” The Alpha shrugged, lowering his eyes. “I never did it with a partner, because it's... well, it's not an Alpha thing, as you just said.”

The Omega froze, understanding what the Alpha was saying and what he was not. He leaned to catch his hand and pressed a kiss on his knuckles.

“I'm sorry, Dean, I didn't mean to be an ass about it, I just... I didn't think, I guess?” Dean shrugged again, Castiel pushed forward. “You can like what you like and I'll be happy to do it with you if you want.” He smiled at the slightly hopeful look on his mate's eyes. “And honestly, it doesn't make you any less Alpha, you know that, right?”

Dean snorted, unconvinced. “Cas, let's not exaggerate. I'm a weird Alpha who nests and likes to have his ass rammed, so I never was a full Alpha one day in my life.” The self-deprecating tone was really, really starting to grate on Castiel nerves. 

“You clearly can't feel your Alpha as well as the people around you, Dean. Everyone can sense it, everyone thinks you’re a strong, natural-born leader. Michael thinks so, Gabriel thinks so, Bobby obviously thinks so. Do you think Campbell would have thrown his shit if he thought you were what, a half Alpha? No, he wouldn't have cared about you in that case, but you have an aura of strength and command around you that you don't know and it's the most Alpha thing I've ever felt.”

Dean stayed with his eyes downcast, clearly having trouble believing him. Castiel let him be, aware that sometimes things needed to settle before they could be felt. He stood up and started cleaning the table and the kitchen, quickly joined by his Alpha. He had hoped that the toy discussion would lead to a morning of bedroom fun, but Dean's insecurities ran too near the surface at that moment. They spent their last day of mating leave in the arms of one another, watching movies, discussing books, dancing while cooking and making out.

When they fell asleep, late in the evening, Dean's knot was firmly settled in Castiel's hole, their noses on their mating bites, and if there was some slick around Dean's rim, it was a secret between them.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your comments, kudos, bookmarks, subscriptions!! 
> 
> Lately, writing doesn't come so easily, so I really appreciate your encouragement.
> 
> Next week we'll meet the families again!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saying that Dean was having a shitty day didn’t even begin to cover it.

Friday, Dean returned to work and Castiel found himself a little lonely. It was hard being separated from the man that hadn’t left his side in the last five days. He felt out of sorts, cold, missing the touch and the scent of his mate. He tried to distract himself by calling Balthazar, doing some online shopping and looking for his future master in college. 

As the day wore down he felt even worse, strange thoughts plaguing his head, wondering if Dean was coming back, if he hadn’t been pushing him away by not being what an Omega should be, if maybe he should learn to cook, or maybe he should be thinking about babies, or maybe... He was starting to panic for no reason, he knew that, but couldn’t help himself. 

He went to their bedroom and buried his nose in his mate’s pillow, breathing large lungfuls of air and managing to calm himself down. He didn’t want to disturb Dean at work -even if they had been exchanging text during the rare pauses of the Alpha and every text seemed to ease the weight in his chest- so he called Anna, the only person he could think of that could understand what was happening to him.

Anna was, in fact, very helpful.

“You’re going through a mating drop, Castiel.”

The Omega, on his side of the phone, scowled.

“What’s a _mating drop_?”

“It’s the drop of the mating hormones that happens the first days of separation after a mating. Dean should be experiencing it too. Basically, for the last five days your bodies have harmonized with each other, and now they need to learn how to live separate lives as well.” Anna replied, her voice a bit lost in the noises of playing kids.

“Are you... Is this going to happen every time we’re apart?” It couldn’t, could it? Castiel couldn’t live his life like this, in a constant fear of being abandoned, hurting deep in his chest as soon as his mate was out of sight. He was an independent person, for fucks’ sake, he didn’t want to need a person around just to feel whole.

Anna laughed at his worried tone. “No, no, little brother, it won’t. You may need some time to adjust, especially with you being true mates, but with some time you’ll both be able to go on with life as normal, just... mated.”

“Do you remember how long it took for you?” Castiel was not calming down at all. What if this feeling of emptiness lasted for months? 

“I don’t know, maybe three or four days? Listen, it'll probably be worse on Monday, but at least you know what to expect. Prepare some token with your smell to leave with the other and, Castiel, try to be around people. Especially people who know Dean and better yet if they’re family. Doesn’t he have a brother?”

“Yeah, he does, but... I have this weird feeling his brother doesn’t like me that much. Besides he’s at college during the week.”

“Oh, Castiel, he doesn’t know you. Maybe he’s just worried about his brother, you know?”

Castiel sighed. “I know, I just... well, it doesn’t matter. He’ll know me soon enough, then we’ll see.”

“That’s the spirit. But remember: scent token and people. And chocolate, it’s good for your mental state as well.” She said, in the maternal tone she usually used to ask her kids to brush their teeth.

“Should’ve started with that, Anna, that’s the easiest thing to do right now!” He heard the ringing laugher of his sister-in-law on the other side of the phone and smiled, feeling a little more settled already.

“Yes, go eat chocolate and I’ll talk to you soon. Don’t hesitate to call me when you’re feeling like this, Castiel!”

“I will, Anna, thank you.” He hung up and went, resolutely, to eat half a chocolate tablet. It did, in fact, magic for his mood.

\---

Saying that Dean was having a shitty day didn’t even begin to cover it. 

First of all, he was missing Cas terribly, like a piece of himself which had been carved out of his chest. Everything smelled wrong, everything looked wrong and he, himself, felt wrong. He was having the hardest time concentrating on his work and every person that talked to him just grated his nerves like chalk on a board.

Then there were his colleagues, who were assholes, and spent the entire morning asking him very, very inappropriate things about Cas. So ok, maybe he sometimes told them things about his one night stands, maybe things that weren’t very appropriate to tell and ok, maybe he was a dick, but they didn’t actually expect to hear about his mated sex life, right? Wrong. Lunchtime wasn’t even there yet when he stormed away from the garage to find refuge in Bobby’s office, yelling at Ash to leave him alone.

“What?”

The usual warmth of the sweet voice of his father figure was always reassuring.

“Nothing. I need to step away from Ash before I break his nose.” He shrugged, the feeling in his chest not easing, his breath short, his temper high. 

“What did he do.” replied the older Alpha, not lifting his eyes from the order he was sending to the part retailer.

“He keeps asking things that aren’t, let’s say, safe for work.” It was Bobby’s turn to shrug.

“Idjits.”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything in this scenario, he’s the fucking harassing moron who hasn’t stopped one fucking second since this morning from asking me if my mate sucks…”

One hand was raised, then a sharp gaze that pierced through him like a blade. Disappointing Bobby always carried a scent of ammonia that was very unpleasant.

“You’ve run your mouth too many times, you idjit. Now you pay the price. But that’s not the problem here, right? You’re jumpy.”

Damn the damn Alpha and his observation skills.

“Yeah I... I’m not feeling good, Bobby.” There, the truth but not the whole truth.

“I can see that, princess. Missing the mister?” The older Alpha’s lips lifted just a bit at the corners.

“What? No! Come on, Bobby, it’s not like we can’t return to our lives after five days, that would be weird!” Dean knew his cheeks were turning bright red, he could feel the heat rising from his neck to the point of his ears, but there was no fighting it so he didn’t.

“You’re a moron, Dean. You miss him and he misses you too and you’re both miserable. It’s normal, it’s a mating drop. It gets better.” Bobby seemed to have an almost sympathetic expression, which was scarier than anything.

“What the fuck is a mating drop?” Dean glowered at his Alpha.

“It’s the mating hormones trying to sort themselves out. Haven’t you noticed how you couldn’t stop touching him, or scenting him? It keeps the mating hormones high and, as soon as you can’t do it, they drop and you feel miserable. It’s going to get worse during the day and probably next week, too. It’s an Alpha-Omega thing. Go eat something.” Bobby muttered, a tone Dean was familiar with that indicated the older Alpha was uncomfortable in showing he cared but couldn’t help himself regardless.

Dean nodded and went to find a snack in the break room. It did help, and the Alpha was then able to go back to work. Ash seemed to have received the message that his gossiping wasn’t welcome and stepped back. The feeling of emptiness didn’t abate completely but it was manageable enough and was even lighter anytime he texted his mate. 

When five o’clock rolled Dean sprinted out of the garage without looking back and raced home. He found Cas napping on the couch, the nose in one of the shirts from the hamper. The sight made him smile and, after taking a lungful of Cas’ and mate scent that hung heavy in the air, he went to make dinner. When the chicken was in the oven and the potatoes were mashed, he went to wake his mate up, delicately, with light nudges of his nose along the part of the neck that was uncovered and gentle kisses along his jaw. Cas roused slowly, the dopey smile on his lips quickly covered by a kiss. 

“Hey babe, dinner’s almost ready.” He whispered, a hand in the Omega’s hair, stroking lightly.

“Oh, sorry... I didn’t mean to be asleep when you came back...” Cas lowered his eyes, as if ashamed.

“Hey, don’t worry, it’s ok. Did you have as miserable a day as me?” 

Cas huffed a laugh and nodded. “I had a very, very shitty day. But I’m a lot better now that you’re here.”

“Yeah, me too. Come, let’s eat and then cuddle for the rest of the night.” Dean stood and offered his hand to his mate, who took it and stood too. 

“Sounds like a plan, Dean. A good one.” Cas smiled softly, and they did just that, basking in each other scent for hours, touching skin, kissing lips. They went to bed naked and slept intertwined as if they were trying to melt in a single body.

\---

When Bobby came home late that Friday night, he was welcomed by a symphony of shouts and cries. In the kitchen stood Ellen, Jo, and Sam, and the crying match seemed to be in full swing. The two women were red in the face and Sam had a rather alarmed expression on his.

“I’m not going!”

“Johanna Beth, you are going to apologize to your brother and his mate, and then you are absolutely coming with us on Sunday!”

Bobby sighed, resigned to yet another night of temper tantrums. Jo was being very stubborn and pig-headed about Dean’s mating, closing herself in her room at all times and coming out just to fetch something to eat and to take her shifts at the Roadhouse. Since the new couple had invited their family for dinner on Sunday at their place the shouting had started.

Bobby went to Sam and patted him on the shoulder before going to the fridge to find a cold beer, mandatory to deal with this crap.

“I have nothing to apologize for!”

Sam and Bobby snorted. Ellen seemed to have some trouble keeping her temper in check. The look on her face was murderous and Bobby, who had been on the receiving end of that glare multiple times, almost felt bad for his daughter.

“You have not... Oh my gods Johanna, how can you be so dense!”

“That... that guy stole him from me!”

“He was never yours, you idiot!”

“He could have been, if he just had the time to see I’m not a kid anymore!”

Bobby, tired and worn from a week of endless work and pack management, laughed. Full-on laughed, which didn’t happen very often. Three pairs of eyes turned on him, stunned.

“For Odin’s eye, you think that’s the problem? You think what, Jo, that given three or four years Dean would have finally realized that you’re an adult and fall madly in love with you?”

Jo crossed her arms and tilted her chin in a defensive posture. “It could have happened, if you hadn’t dragged him to that fucking pack meeting!”

She was yelling. At him.

Bobby was the kind of Alpha who didn’t use his Alpha voice. His father used his far too much, especially against his own family, and Bobby always promised to himself he never would have forced his mate or kids to do something or assess his dominance through a feature that was entirely biological and had nothing to do with him as a person.

Bobby was seriously thinking about breaking his promise. The tether that kept him grounded was the hand Ellen had on his forearm. 

“Dean is my second, and it is not your place to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do, kid. He loves you like a sister and that won’t change in a million years, unless you decide to still be a fucking three-year-old throwing a temper tantrum, then I’m pretty sure Dean will have nothing to do with you ever again.” He could feel it, the aggression in his voice, the lowering of his timber. He could see it in the way Jo looked almost alarmed and hunched her shoulder. Good, this had been going on too long anyway. It wasn’t his full Alpha voice but it seeped through. 

“He found his true mate, that’s not something you argue about. It’s... I don’t know, destiny, or whatever. Nothing you, I, Sam, or the fucking president could do anything about. Grow up, Jo. Grow the fuck up and apologize to your brother and his mate before all of this becomes very, fucking ugly.”

He took a long slug of his beer, calming down slightly. Jo was speechless, Ellen smelled a little wary and Sam was watching him, almost impressed. Idjit.

“I don’t know how to do that.” Suddenly Jo’s voice was much, much quieter. 

“Well, that’s a better start,” Bobby replied, finishing his beer and taking another before going to inspect what was in the pot on the stove. Pork roast, perfect.

Sam piped in.

“I think we should head over tomorrow, so that you can say you’re sorry and that you won’t be acting like an ass anymore.”

“Shut up, Sam, not like you’ve been a piece of cake either.” Replied Jo petulantly.

\---

She was right and Sam knew it. It was just that... Ok, he was having a hard time wrapping his head around the facts. Dean was all he ever knew. Dean was his brother, his father figure, and his best friend. And suddenly he was away from home, mated to a guy Sam had seen a grand total of two hours, barely answering his calls for three days. So yes, Sam was having a harder time adjusting than what he would have thought. At least his concerns about Castiel being an Omega were dissipated by the fact that the guy didn’t seem to take any shit and seemed like a solid dude, but Sam just missed his brother. 

“I’m not saying I’ve been peachy, I’m saying we should go tomorrow, Johanna.” He shot back, starting to put the dishes on the table after a quick and non-negotiable gesture from Ellen. Jo grunted what seemed to be an agreement and the Singer-Harvelle-Winchester family sat down to eat. 

Later that night he shot a message to his brother, saying he and Jo would be coming at theirs in the morning; he got no reply.

  
  


They headed out around ten in the morning, with an apple pie made by Ellen as a peace offering. Not knowing what Castiel liked they just hoped the pie would be good for both. 

The very short ride to the cabin at the edge of the wood was silent, Jo musing watching outside of the window, and Sam concentrated on the road. It was less than ten minutes, but the roads were almost frozen and his car was a piece of shit that Bobby had repaired with duct tape and stubbornness. When they parked in front of the cabin, the interior seemed quiet. They knocked -well, Sam knocked, Jo hid behind his frame- and, seconds later, a rumpled and pajama-clad Dean opened the door, his eyes barely opened, his mating bite on proud display where the t-shirt hung a bit loosely at his neck.

“Oh, you’re here. Come on in, I’m making breakfast.”

Well, at least he had seen the text. They entered the house and Sam was a little taken aback by the homey feeling it exuded. The living room was adorned in green, from the sage color of the curtains to the mix match cushions on the brown leather couch, to the set of plaids that hung from the armrest of the chair. The shelves were filled with books, DVDs, and a soft glow came from the lamps around the place. On the left wall, nicely framed and set, were Dean’s posters, pictures of the couple and their families, and a very ugly painting that looked like it was made by a three-year-old. The stove was running and the whole place felt… cozy. 

While Sam was observing how the cabin he had lived in for four years looked so very different, Dean was setting the table for four and finishing his pancakes. 

“Where’s Castiel? Here, we brought pie.”

“Oh, thanks!” Dean’s eyes brightened at the sight of his favorite dessert. “Cas went for a run about an hour ago, he should be back in a bit. I left him some clothes outside.”

Sam nodded, happy to not be subjected to his brother-in-law's nudity so soon in their acquaintance. Jo was still behind him, clearly looking unsure. He nudged her with a kick in her chin that made her yelp.

“Ass,” she muttered.

“Yes,” he replied.

Dean narrowed his eyes at his adoptive sister, clearly waiting for her to talk. Jo cleared her throat and, in a smaller voice than her usual, said “I’m sorry.”

“For what.” Jo flinched at Dean’s cold tone that clearly indicated that he wasn’t going to let things slide easily.

“Um.. for.. for being an ass to your mate?” She asked, tone hopeful.

“That’s for when Cas arrives, try again.” The mated Alpha turned his back and started to assemble the rest of the breakfast, a wonderful spread of various things on the table. Even some fruits, which Sam knew were for him.

Jo grumbled a bit under her breath and Dean turned sharply.

“Listen, Jo. I thought it was a stupid crush and it’d pass, so I kept my mouth shut, but you’ve been annoying for years now, with your jealous acts, your misunderstanding of physical boundaries, and the downright rudeness at the people I dated.”

“You didn’t date,” she mumbled.

“Not that you would have known, trust me. The one time I came to the Roadhouse with a girl you made our evening a nightmare, imagine me presenting someone to my family. Oh wait, we don’t need to imagine that, it’s exactly what happened Monday night. Got it?” Jo nodded sheepishly.

“Good. So, to be clear, even if I love you, I would never, ever, in a million years, date you. I see you as my sister and that’s it. I would never date you just as I would never date Sam or Ellen.” Both the Alphas shuddered at the hypothesis. “Now listen very well: you’re going to apologize to Cas and you’re going to sound sincere. He’s here to stay and will always be around, so try and make a friend out of him, ok?”

After another nod from the blonde Beta, Dean patted her on the shoulder, lingering for just a second, then turned to Sam. 

“And you, Sammy, I need you to adapt. I know it was sudden and a bit scary from your point of view, but I’m happy. Like, really happy. I didn’t even know it was possible to be this happy. So, instead of sending petulant texts on how I’m not answering your calls, try to think about when you’re calling, why you’re calling, and who you’re calling. We had three days to make this house a home and find a rhythm and every thirty minutes my phone was ringing, Sam. I had it on silent since Tuesday morning. I wasn’t avoiding you, I was starting something new and you have to respect that, ok?”

Sam nodded, dumbfounded. So yes, maybe he called a little bit too much in the last few days, but he was curious to know how his brother was doing, how his mated life was going. He also had a lot of things to tell about Jess and didn’t want to talk about that with anyone else, so… As soon as Sam nodded, Dean's entire demeanor changed: he clapped his hands, turned toward the kitchen to retrieve the coffee pot, and invited them to sit with a gesture. Not even two minutes later, the front door was opening.

\---

Castiel needed to run, that became clear as soon as Dean read the text from his brother as soon as they woke up. He needed to clear some aggression, lest he would try to throttle Jo as soon as she arrived at his home. Dean understood and said he would prepare breakfast in the meantime, so Castiel undressed, shifted, and went out the door as soon as Dean opened it for him.

He ran in the forest, letting his paws guide him, followed new smells and noises. He chased a rabbit for a while, left his scent on more trees than not, let the winter breeze ruffle his black fur and clear his lungs. When he felt his adrenaline dimming and he started to breathe a little more heavily, he turned and went back. 

A basket with comfortable clothes -kept warm by a hot water bottle because his mate was considerate like that- was waiting for him next to the front door, so he shifted again and dressed quickly in the cold, pushing the door as soon as his pants were up. 

Strong scents assaulted his nose at first: there was the now-familiar one of Dean, tinged with anger; Sam was quite similar to his brother with the sharp presence of pine mellowed by the scent of old books and tinged with shame; finally, there was, as an undertone, Jo’s Beta scent, a mix of sage and lemon and no discernible emotions. Betas were hard to read from scent alone.

The sight that welcomed him though, betrayed the scents. The siblings were sitting at the table, a mug of something hot in front of them, and were chatting amicably. Dean lit up at seeing him and stood up to greet him with a kiss and a little touch of his thumb along his bite. Castiel, despite himself, felt a bit embarrassed at the casual intimacy. The two other wolves seemed to be very engrossed in their coffee. 

“I… I’m going to shower very quickly, I stink.” Castiel murmured.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Dean smirked, “but go, I’ll keep your coffee hot in the meantime.”

Castiel nodded and quickly went to rinse the sweat from his body and hair. He didn’t even try combing his hair, choosing instead to just run his fingers through it, and dressed in a tight pair of jeans and one of Dean’s t-shirts, then joined the others at the table, greeting them politely. The following silence was deafening for a few minutes that seemed to be hours, but Castiel wasn’t backing down. He wanted some apologies and wasn’t going to pretend everything was fine until he had them.

Finally, after what Castiel thought was a rather hard nudge in her shin from Dean, Jo inhaled and tried.

“I’m sorry, Castiel.” Her voice was quiet, unsure. Castiel was not completely satisfied, though.

“Go on.” he motioned, taking another sip of his coffee. He saw Jo trying very hard not to roll her eyes and steel herself, and hid a smirk in the rim of his mug. He thought he could learn to like the blonde if she managed to stop her tantrums. 

“I’m sorry for how I offended you on Monday, for being a brat, and for ruining your meeting with our family. I’m also sorry for how I behaved with Dean and I’ll do my best to be better. Can we eat now?” she said through gritted teeth and almost shining eyes. Pride was a powerful thing to overcome.

“I accept your apologies and yes, I think we should eat. Pancakes?”

The rest of the meal wasn’t completely at ease, there was some lingering awkwardness especially -strangely enough- between the brothers, but conversations flowed enough. 

Castiel learned about Sam’s girlfriend (a human girl; Dean and him exchanged a glance but decided to keep their mouths shut. Interspecies romances, especially when the wolf was Alpha or Omega, weren’t so easy to maintain. Sam was young, he had time to learn it on his own), about the regulars of the Roadhouse, about how Bobby and Ellen were doing the last week. They talked about the dinner Castiel and Dean were hosting the day after -Dean promised burgers and received very enthusiastic cheers about that- and the mated couple accepted praise on their arrangements of the cabin. 

The breakfast became a brunch, then a lunch, then they finished the food and everyone pitched in to help clean. When the guests finally left, Castiel exhaled. It had been a rather eventful morning. 

\---

Charlie disentangled herself from the sheets and Dorothy, leaving a sweet kiss on her what, girlfriend maybe?, hair as a parting gift. She dressed quietly, careful to not disturb Dot’s slumber, and left for her place bright and early. She was planning on being at Dean and Cas’ a little before the rest of the guests and she needed a shower. 

She hadn’t heard from Dean all week, except for the text that informed her to come for dinner on Sunday. She had been quite busy herself, between her job at an IT firm in the city, her new girlfriend (was it too early to call her that? maybe, but she was doing it only in her head, so…) and managing her guilds both on Moondoor and WoW. She was an unapologetic nerd and loved roleplay in all its facets -yes, that too-, but it could be sometimes very time-consuming. Sure, sometimes she missed the time when she played without worrying about the management, but she actually loved having a bunch of people relying on her so she kept it up. 

Once she got home she showered, drank an ungodly amount of coffee, and fired up her computer, a tabletop beast that she had assembled from the best pieces she could afford. 

Once logged everywhere she sipped on her third coffee and started working. Moondor was having a LARPing event the following week, so she had to check the participant’s list, the camp items everyone would bring, the character backgrounds for new players, and get in touch with the other leaders to coordinate everything. Fifty emails, another cup of coffee, and some buttered toast later, and she was done cleaning up some drama on her WoW forum that she had discovered. She ended up banning one guy she absolutely hated and took a perverse pleasure at doing it, set the time for the next raids, and closed her tabs. 

She checked the time and was pleased to see it was already past her lunchtime. She had no intention to eat because Dean was making burgers and she needed space in her stomach, so she worked a bit on her latest fanfiction -a Hermione/Ginny AU set in a heroic fantasy world, the best of everything-, dressed up -as in she put on the geekiest shirt she managed to find, a not too ratty pair of jeans, and her All Stars-, and headed to the cabin.

She was curious. She genuinely liked what she had seen last week in the mated dynamics between Dean and Castiel and she was eager to see if the week of adjustment had brought some changes in what she had witnessed. 

Once she parked her car in front of the cabin she noted that there were already three other cars parked: two, she did expect. The third was unexpected and very red, little and old -but old in the way that Baby was old, well cared for- and she absolutely didn’t know who it belonged to.

As she came near the door she could hear yelling, and her heart beat faster as she stormed into the living room, where the scene welcoming her was this one: Dean howling in laughter, bent in half on the kitchen counter, tears in his eyes; Castiel was red in the face, fuming, fists bunched at his sides, a murderous glare destined to the third person present, a short Beta with longish hair and a self-satisfied smirk on his lips. 

“What the f-”

Dean lifted his eyes for a moment, just to see her, before letting his head thump on the counter once more, shaking silently. Castiel huffed, unclenched himself, and came in her direction, while the Beta still basked in his smugness.

“Hello, Charlie. Sorry for... well, sorry for him.” Castiel said, indicating the newcomer with a vague and irritated gesture. “My brother Gabriel thought it would be very funny to come unannounced and pull a prank on me as soon as he arrived. As you see, my mate isn’t defending me.” Eye-roll, long-suffering sigh. Charlie’s lips quirked.

“I see. What prank?” she asked, walking towards the guy and extending her hand for him to take. “Hi, I’m Charlie, I’m Dean’s bestie.”

Gabriel winked. “Hellooo gorgeous, well, I’m not gonna tell you, now, am I? A magician never reveals his secrets!” He took her hand and kissed it, like an old-timey gentleman, but the result was a bit ruined by the lollipop hanging out the side of his lips. 

Dean, on the other hand, seemed to be recovering and was able to right himself somewhat. He was still red in the face and had tears in the corner of his eyes, but he was standing at least. Charlie turned back to Castiel and hugged him, not taking offense to the fact that he was stiff as a board: he had a lot of time to get used to it. Once that was done she walked to Dean and did the same, sniffing him discreetly; his scent was mellowed by Castiel’s, and now he smelled like forest and pie. It suited him.

“Heya, Char, how are you?” Dean asked, releasing her. She could feel the glare from the Omega behind her but, that too, was something he needed to get used to. 

“Oh, I’m great! Starving, but great! I love what you’ve done with the place, by the way!” She looked around, taking in the details that made the cabin a very different place than it was when the brothers were teenagers. Thanks came from both mates while Castiel took her place between Dean’s arms and scented him briefly. Very territorial, this one, as was clear the first time she saw him.

“Yeah, nice love nest, guys, but where’s the candy?” piped Gabriel, leaning on the couch as if he owned the place. Charlie started to understand that the Beta was a peculiar individual.

“No candies in this house, Gabe, should have told us you were coming!” Dean replied from the kitchen where he was already busying himself with dinner preparations. Charlie sat at the table and started to peel potatoes along with Castiel.

“And where would the fun be in that? I hoped to catch you mid-fuck, you know, since I'm still waiting for my pictures!” 

The Omega rolled his eyes and his scent spiked with annoyance and a bit of mortification, but Charlie smirked and shrugged, trying to convey that there wasn’t much to be ashamed of. 

“You’re never seeing pictures, even if there were pictures to see.”

“You underestimate me, Alpha, that’s not a good thing to do!”

“Yeah, yeah, come and help, Gabe, instead of leaving sugary fingerprints all over my couch.”

“I don’t cook.”

“Rachel should teach you, you Novaks are useless in a kitchen.”

“Privileges of being rich, pretty boy.”

Charlie and Castiel followed the verbal match that continued for a while, a soft smile on the Omega’s lips. The ease between his brother and his mate was, obviously, something he liked very much. 

“So, have you seen the rest of the Singers lately?” Charlie asked quietly, lowering her voice under the bellows of the other two who were now singing -badly- Dead or Alive.

“Yes, Sam and Jo came for breakfast yesterday,” Castiel answered as quietly.

“How did that go?” The Alpha smirked.

“As good as it could. Jo apologized and I think Sam is starting to warm up to me? I don’t know, we’ll see in a bit.” Castiel shrugged, trying to appear unaffected, but wasn’t very successful: his scent took a burned note of unease. Charlie nodded, agreeing with the fact that they would see in a short time.

When most of the dinner was ready -burgers, fries, salad (Charlie asked if it was for Sam and Dean muttered something like “apparently Sam’s not the only freak anymore” which granted him a flick of the ear from his mate) and an apple pie- the rest of the family arrived, bringing chairs.

\---

“Bring chairs,” said Dean’s message. Not how much, or when they needed to be there, or what they could bring for dinner. Just to “bring chairs”. 

So they did: they put the chairs in the trunk and headed to the cabin at a decent hour to find four cars already in front of the house. There was Baby, of course, the blue anonymity Castiel drove, Charlie’s yellow Gremlin, and a collector's red Fiat 500 Abarth from the end of the sixties, so polished it was giving Baby a run for her money. Bobby didn’t know who it belonged to but had a strong feeling about who was waiting inside. His intuition didn’t disappoint.

“Hey, Singer, good to see you! And who’s this young, very, very tall and very, very handsome?” Gabriel Novak wiggled his eyebrows in Sam’s direction, but Bobby stirred him away with a firm hand on the shoulder. Dean shouted an indignant “Hey!” and Gabriel just giggled. Well, dinner just became even more interesting.

“Didn’t know you would be here tonight, Novak,” Bobby grumbled, giving the chair he was carrying to Dean. Two voices -Dean and Castiel’s- answered at the same time “Us neither!” and Gabriel giggled again.

“I was missing my baby brother, what can I say. And I needed to check if Dean was behaving.” 

Dean snorted, Castiel rolled his eyes, Charlie giggled, and introductions were made. 

Sunday dinners were a rowdy affair in the best circumstances, but Gabriel Novak brought a whole new set of noises and trouble. He flirted without shame with pretty much everyone, but mostly Sam, who was a mix of embarrassed and completely terrified, blushing furiously and asking for help with his eyes; only Castiel tried to calm his brother with a series of kicks in the shin that had almost no effect whatsoever. 

Jo was behaving and seemed mostly at ease, replying to Gabriel’s flirting with banter and sass. Ellen was watching her family with fond eyes, even if Bobby could feel she was a little taken aback by Gabriel’s demeanor. Charlie had stated her disinterest for Gabriel quickly (and probably not for the first time), so she contented herself with laughing at the sibling’s discomfort. Dean and Castiel leaned against the other, as they should. Bobby was fairly satisfied with the family he chose for himself. 

\---

Sam was horrified. Never, in his whole life, had anyone hit on him so blatantly. Of course he knew it was mostly a joke -right?- but it was embarrassing all the same, especially in front of his family, for fuck’s sake! The guy was a menace and the fact that Dean continued to howl in laughter at every jab the older Beta made was making all of it nearly unbearable. Gods bless Charlie, who took him by the shoulder and saved him by bringing him outside to breathe some fresh air; as usual, the red-haired Alpha paid absolutely zero fucks for convenience and said directly to Gabriel’s face “I’m going to make him breathe some fresh air because you’re smothering him.” and that was that.

The air outside was freezing, a cold breeze that stung the nose and the ears in mere seconds. Sam sighed and watched the air become fog in front of his mouth, and hugged himself to try and keep warm.

“So, have you calmed down since last week?”

“Great, so he doesn’t answer when I call, but if he needs to bitch to someone you’re still number one on his phone,” he mumbled, not truly wanting to be heard. But Charlie was smart, and had very good hearing despite blasting music on her headset 24/7, so she heard.

“I didn’t talk to him at all this week, Sam. I figured he had other things to do.”

“Yeah, well, I may not have taken it in as careful consideration, so I had my ass handed to me yesterday,” he mumbled again. She smirked, because she was an ass sometimes.

“And?”

“And nothing! I get it, I’m a selfish bastard who’s having trouble adjusting with his brother’s mating, I’ll make an effort!”

Charlie scowled a bit and burrowed a place beside his arms and against his chest, a tight hug that was doing miracles against the cold.

“You’re not selfish, Sam, it’s just a big change. I know that, Dean knows that, everybody does. But that’s not what I was talking about, I saw on Monday that you were a bit uncomfortable with Cas.”

Sam hugged her closer so that she couldn’t lift her eyes and see his face.

“Now you’re going to tell me I’m sexist,” he grumbled all the same.

“Well, are you?” Charlie replied.

“I might have had some... reservations; They’re gone, though. But Kevin said I was making sexist assumptions and I think he was right.”

“Well, learn from that. So you’re good now?” She dislodged herself from the hug and looked in his eyes.

“Yeah. I think they’re a great couple. They seem quite the match.”

“Good, and yes, they are. Come on Moose, let’s get you inside before you transform into a popsicle.”

\---

When every belly was more than full, the beers were gone and the whiskey came out, the evening was calming down. Dean and Cas had tidied up a bit with Sam’s and Jo’s help and when everyone sat again with a drink and some leftover pie -Gabriel was a stomach on legs, Dean never thought someone could eat more than him but, there he was- Gabriel’s face became a lot more serious as he said: “Well, let’s talk shop, shall we?”

So there was a reason for his impromptu arrival, and it was not just to embarrass his brother, even if he was quite successful at that. 

Bobby grunted his assent and the entire table nodded. Dean didn’t even think about asking the others to leave, knowing it would be pointless and probably painful too, depending on Ellen’s mood.

“So, good news first: nothing moved in a week. We had no attacks and we’re getting the pack ready.” Bobby nodded, and Dean understood that, despite the mating leave he just had, his Alpha had worked to protect his pack from eventual aggressions. That didn’t quell the little guilt he felt at the thought that he had left his adoptive father to deal with that alone. 

“Bad news: Morningstar has fallen off the radar. They are no longer on their territory -we checked- and we have no idea where they are. We still don’t know their numbers, their precise intentions, or when they plan to make their move. I tried to contact a wolf from my father’s pack, but I couldn’t find him, and he’s someone that can’t be found if he doesn’t want to.”

The faces around the room were glum at hearing that information: there was nothing to be done if they had not, at least, an eye on the competition. 

Bobby grunted “What can we do?” and Gabriel smiled brightly, even if Dean could still see the steel in his gaze; Gabriel wasn’t a wolf to underestimate. 

“Well, Alpha Singer, I’m so glad you asked. First I would like for you to find someone from the Campbells to talk to. I have had words that Christian’s leadership took a bit of a blow after the meeting, but my source is unreliable at best and a lying liar at worst.” Bobby, Dean, and Sam nodded, and Dean was already trying to think of who they should send and how to approach a pack that thought they wanted to conquer it. It would be no small feat. 

“I’m also trying to contact the Coven, but they’ve moved for Yule celebrations and will not be around until the next moon, so for now that’s a closed road. About that, you’re all invited for Yule at Novak’s Manor, if you like!” Gabriel was, in just a fraction of a second, the same exuberant and joyful guy he’d been all day and it gave Dean a bit of a whiplash. He checked on Cas and found him gazing at him, a soft smile on his lips, and a question in his eyes. Dean nodded, so Cas accepted the invitation for them, as quickly did Ellen, Sam, and Charlie. 

The rest of the evening went fast and soon the Singers and Charlie were out of the cabin, Gabriel was sprawled on the couch snoring very loudly, and the mates were preparing for bed, talking quietly about the day. 

Cas felt a little bit more at ease with Sam, he told Dean, which was good. Dean also had felt Sam relax a little, maybe taking stock of the shift in his reality and trying a bit harder to adapt. Dean did, obviously, felt guilty for abandoning his little brother, but Cas had been very convincing about the fact that Sam was an adult, that he had a loving family to take care of him and that they moved ten minutes from the Alpha house, so he tried very hard not to let the guilt eat him. 

Once in bed, in pajamas for the first time -” _I am not sleeping naked with my brother on the other side of the wall, Dean!” “That never stopped me!” “Have you met my brother? Have you_?”- they settled against each other, bodies flushed, and fell asleep in the middle of the list of gifts they were making for Yule.

  
  



	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where the fuck were you, Cas? I was going to call Jody!” Dean exploded on the other side of the phone, his deep voice booming and making Castiel wince.

The next week was rough. Both mates’ hormones were acting weird, dropping low during the time they were separated and rising high when they were together. Castiel spent the first two days sniffing Dean’s clothes and pillow, eating so much chocolate he had a stomach ache on Tuesday, and dragging his body from the bed to the couch. Dean seemed to have the same kind of problems at work and Castiel wondered how much time he was spending working since he was constantly texting him, which was good for him because the smallest communication made breathing a little easier.

At night they were a mess of skin, unable to keep from touching the other to the point where Castiel asked out loud if it was normal that he felt the need to stay right outside the bathroom door while Dean was on the toilet. The Alpha said he didn’t mind, so Castiel stayed. It felt weird, though.

Wednesday morning Castiel woke up after Dean had already left, like the previous days. His heart clenched and he turned to bury his face in his mate's scent, but it didn’t seem to be as effective as the other mornings. He stayed in bed a few moments more, letting the feeling of hopelessness slide over him with a creepy sense of familiarity. He couldn’t go on like this anymore. He needed to take his life back and be a human being again, not just the shell of one. With a new purpose he got up and, without even bothering to cover himself, he went out for a run. 

It felt good to be in touch with his wolf again, to feel the crunch of the first snow under his paws, the sounds of the woods, the scents of the forest. When he started to feel as if his limbs were going to fall off from exhaustion he came back to the cabin. Three missed calls and seven texts were waiting for him on his phone, and he made a face remembering that he hadn’t called Dean to tell him about his whereabouts. Still naked and sweaty, he called.

“Where the fuck were you, Cas? I was going to call Jody!” Dean exploded on the other side of the phone, his deep voice booming and making Castiel wince. 

“I’m sorry, Dean, I went for a run, it was a spur of the moment and I just... forgot.” He replied, voice small even in his own ears. He felt like a kid scolded by a parent and didn’t like it one bit. There was a moment of silence, only interrupted by the labored breaths from Dean as the Alpha tried to calm himself down. When he talked again his voice was, in fact, less loud, but still resonated with barely concealed anger.

“I was worried sick, Cas, and I was feeling sick. Well, sicker. It’s been a hell of a morning, I couldn’t get a hold on you for nearly three hours. Never do this to me again, ok?”

Castiel nodded, then remembered his mate couldn’t see him. “Yes, Dean, I’ll be more careful. Again, I’m sorry.” He didn’t want to feel guilty, because he was an adult, for fuck’s sake, and he could go out if he wanted, but he could also imagine the pain he put Dean in and the mere thought almost broke his heart.

“It’s ok.” Castiel could feel in his voice that it wasn’t ok. “Did it do you any good?”

“Yes, a bit. I’m sweaty and achy, but less restless. Are you a bit better now?” He asked in a small voice.

“Yeah, a bit.” Dean mirrored, sighing. “Listen, would you like to have lunch with me? I thought we could go to the Roadhouse for burgers, maybe it will help.”

Castiel smiled. “I think it’s a wonderful idea, Dean. At twelve?” 

“Yeah. I’m going to call Ellen to let her know. See you there, babe.” Dean’s voice was still trembling, and a new pang of guilt tugged at Castiel's chest.

“See you there, Dean.”

After hanging up, Castiel went for a scalding shower and got dressed in real clothes for the first time since Sunday. The impromptu visit from Gabriel had been a welcome one, even if it had started with more shouts than hugs. The evening had been pleasant and Castiel quite liked how this family was coming together, even if there still was a bit of awkwardness with Dean’s siblings. He very much envied the relationship that was building between Dean and Gabriel and hoped that, one day, his with Sam and Jo could be similar to that. 

Once dressed he put on a load of laundry, did a quick grocery list, and headed out to the Roadhouse, his GPS helping where his memory was fuzzy. He only had been in the neighborhood once, after all. He parked outside of the bar and checked for Baby but didn’t see it; he debated with himself if it was a cowardly move to stay in the car until Dean’s arrival and, after concluding that _yes_ , it was, he exited the car and went in. 

From the outside the Harvelle’s Roadhouse was, for all intents and purposes, a dive. Its wooden cover was old and unkempt, its sign’s light fluttered weakly and its porch looked ready to crumble. The interior, on the other hand, was small but clean. A counter occupied the right side of the first room, in front of which opened an alcove and barely ten tables. One step divided the first from the second room, where stood an old pool table that needed a cover replacement. The light from the small windows was not sufficient and low, neon lamps flickered upon the tables. It was old and gave a biker’s bar vibe, but it was also homely and cozy with its art on the walls, the old-fashioned jukebox that played Bob Seger and the wonderful smell of greasy burgers and homemade fries. 

Castiel's entrance was welcomed by the sound of chatter and clatter of a dozen patrons and he took his time to absorb the atmosphere and find some known faces. He found it, obviously, behind the counter, framed by blond hair.

“Hello, Jo. How are you?” He asked, coming close to the counter and settling on a stool. Jo replied with a bashful smile and an awkward wave before resuming her duties.

“Hi Cas… I’m good, thanks. I heard you were coming in, I set a table for you but you can eat at the counter if you prefer.”

“I’m going to wait for Dean’s input before I decide, I already fucked up by making decisions by myself today.” He shrugged, trying to downplay the embarrassment he felt. He didn’t even know why he was sharing that with Jo, of all people. The young girl snorted.

“Yeah, I heard. I think he was two seconds from calling the cops.” An amused light twinkled in her eyes and made Castiel roll his eyes. 

“That’s what he told me. I... nevermind, I should have thought about it and I just didn’t. Sometimes it’s not easy, you know. Everything changes completely and in a very short time. Adapting is not as easy as one would think.”

She nodded, even if Castiel didn’t think she grasped the entirety of the situation. In ten days he had gone from a young, independent, solitary man, to a hormone-driven, codependent mate, and sometimes he had problems finding himself again. He knew most of these forlorn thoughts were due to his drop, but there wasn’t much to do about it besides shouldering on. 

That still didn’t explain why he was talking about that with his mate’s step-sister who was in love with Dean, but perhaps his need for company was stronger than what he had thought.

“Want something to drink while you wait for him?”

Castiel nodded, asking for a glass of water. Jo raised an eyebrow and Castiel shrugged, explaining he didn’t like sodas. A tall glass of water was soon in front of him.

While he waited -and to starve the impulse to tell Jo his entire life just to _talk_ to someone- he turned to observe the patrons. 

Some were eating in pairs, some others were alone. He sipped his water and found his eyes drawn to a lonely woman with a very sharp gaze that quickly crossed his. She lifted an eyebrow and he felt his ears become hot with an embarrassed flush. He lowered his eyes for a second, but when he lifted it again she was still watching him. She seemed to be in her fifties, dark complexion and frizzy hair, and she emanated an air of respect and reverence. Castiel was quite intimidated and turned again on his stool, facing Jo who was charging the dishwasher.

“Hey, Jo, who’s the lady in the right corner?” He whispered, just loud enough to be heard above Johnny Cash.

“Hm? Oh, that’s Missouri Moseley. She’s a friend of ours and she manages the motel. She’s also a psychic.” Jo answered with a smirk. Castiel scoffed: there were no such things as psychics.

“Sure.”

“She is, you’ll see. And she’s also calling for you. You better go, nobody makes Mama wait.”

He squinted at the young Beta, trying to appear menacing, but he knew he wasn’t successful when she seemed to refrain to laugh. With a sigh he stood and went in the woman’s direction.

“Well hello, handsome. I was waiting for you.” Her voice was deep and tinged with a southern drawl and made, strangely, Castiel feel at ease.

“I’m here to meet with-”

“Dean, yes, I’m waiting for him too. He’s late. Sit.”

Without thinking about why Castiel sat in front of her. Her plate was almost empty, as was her glass, and she just set them aside to clear the space between them. From that short distance her scent was noticeable even in the closed and cramped space of the bar: it was flowery and sweet, indisputably Omega. Castiel thought he liked it quite a bit.

“So, still sick?”

“What? I’m not..”

“Yes you are sweetie, and that’s normal. It’s going to be better soon, but you need to find something to occupy yourself.”

He nodded, dumbfounded. 

“What do you think about a job?”

\---

Dean was having the worst morning in a week of worst days. 

Leaving his bed these days felt like an insurmountable task, especially with his mate warm and naked in it. He was snipping at everyone at the garage and Bobby’s patience was wearing thin. He couldn’t concentrate on the job and the littlest things were taking forever. The only respite came in the evening when he came back to the cabin full of Cas’ scent that welcomed him like an embrace seconds before Cas did the same. For the twelve hours they spent together at night they didn’t stop touching, smelling, kissing. Their clothes stayed on less than the time needed to make dinner and they didn’t even turn on the tv, going straight to bed after quick meals, to lose themselves in one another and finally feel whole again.

And if that wasn’t hard enough Cas had to go for a fucking run without telling him and Dean was sure he was about three minutes from having a heart attack or a stroke. As soon as he put down the phone he felt like shit because somewhere in his mind he knew Cas didn’t have to tell him every fucking move he made, but he couldn’t help that atrocious feeling of paralyzing fear that mingled with the anxiety of being alone that he never had experienced before. Bobby had been there for the clusterfuck, watching him as he called everyone in his family and was one call away from the cops and Gabriel, and once he hung up with Cas the Alpha patted him on the back and told him to take another ten minutes to calm down. Dean didn’t think ten minutes would suffice, but it was still better than nothing after almost three hours of running in circles, cursing his mate and getting absolutely no job done.

He called Ellen to tell her the news, and the Beta had the nerve to giggle in his ear; Dean curtly told her they would come in for lunch and hung up quickly lest he said something he would regret. He sent a message to Charlie and Sam too, in case they were worried -they weren’t, because nobody worries after not even two full hours, except a very insecure and freshly mated Alpha- and tried to get back to his job and, somehow, avoid throttling Ash for his unsavory comments.

When lunchtime came around he put on his jacket and took Baby to the Roadhouse, still trembling with residual energy. Cas’ car was already there, good. He waved at Jo upon entering and she made a gesture in a vague direction which he followed with his eyes. There, in her usual corner, sat Missouri and, in front of her, the back of a head covered with unruly dark hair that couldn’t be tamed, not even by his gel -and he had the best gel, thank you very much-. He crossed the distance in a few steps.

“What do you think about a job?” He heard Missouri say, but he didn’t let Cas answer because he grabbed his arm, pulling him up on his feet, and crushed his Omega in a hug probably too tight to be comfortable and surely wildly inappropriate for their audience. He didn’t care, not even a bit. He buried his nose against his mate's neck and breathed deeply, letting his scent wash over him and calm his pounding heart and the pain in his chest. Cas, thank the gods, returned the embrace as tightly and cradled his head with his hand, murmuring soft “I’m sorry’s” onto the skin just beneath his ear. When he felt a bit more grounded -after a minute or thirty, Dean didn’t know- he let go slowly and tried to find his composure again. 

“Heya Cas.”

“Hello, Dean.”

The silence between their eyes stretched for a few heartbeats still, but then the Alpha remembered his -poor- manners and turned towards Missouri.

“Hi, Mama. Sorry for the interruption, you look beautiful today.”

Missouri snorted.

“Sit, boy, I was talking to your mate, and Ellen was about to bring your food.”

As if on clue and by the power of who knows what mysterious entity that makes mother know when their kids are hungry, Ellen approached with two burgers, a basket of fries, a coke and a bottle of water and set everything on the table, before patting him roughly on the head. 

“Ow, what’s that for?”

“You didn’t even say hello when you came in, Dean, I thought I taught you some manners!”

Dean rubbed his neck with embarrassment. 

“Yeah, right, sorry for that.”

At that Ellen nodded and then, just as quickly, did the same to Cas. The Omega didn’t even ask what was wrong, he just became red around the edges of his ears and lowered his head in shame. 

“Sorry, Ellen.”

“Send a text next time, so I don’t have to listen to your mate panicking for two damn hours while I’m trying to do my prep for lunch.”

“Sure, ma'am.”

At that, seeing his usually confident mate become sheepish in front of his terrifying mother and the equally terrifying equivalent of an aunt, Dean started to laugh. It was a relieved, profound, healing laugh and didn’t stop for several minutes. When it did stop, however, he could see that Cas and Missouri were amused as well and, probably, some of the other patrons.

“Ah, gods, I needed that. So, Mama, you were talking about a job?”

They settled down in front of their plates and dug in without restraint -well, him without restraint, Cas with all the good manners that came with being a Novak even when eating a juicy burger; the guy didn’t even have a drop of juice down his chin in the end and _what was the fun in that_ \- while Missouri resumed her chatting.

“Well, I was proposing Castiel take a job with me at the motel. You may not know, but I’m not so young anymore -don’t snort boy or it’ll go down the wrong pipe-” he did, and the morsel went, in fact, down the wrong pipe, “that’s karma for you, Dean, as I said I’m not getting younger and I think I could use some help down there with the phone and whatnot. Besides, handsome here could use a distraction and both of you could use the money, with Yule coming up.”

Cas didn’t answer right away, of course, because he had his mouth full of bread and meat and cheese and caramelized onions and barbecue sauce. As soon as he finished chewing, though, he raised a thankful gaze on the older Omega, and his scent spiked with the freshness that meant gratitude. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Moseley,” Missouri interrupted right away, “Call me Missouri, honey.”

“Hm, ok, thank you then, Missouri. I would like to see if I can help you with the tenancy of the motel. I do think I need some distraction indeed.”

Fancy vocabulary, Cas was nervous. Dean could understand why: Missouri was all kind of scary, even if she was a loving woman. Kind of like Ellen.

The smile on the face of the woman made her shine and her flowery scent spiked with contentment. 

“Well, that’s good to hear. Why don’t you come in after you two have finished your lunch? We can talk about your hours and your pay and yes, Dean, I’ll make him do days, I’m not an idiot.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“You were thinking it and you always think very loudly.”

This time it was Cas’ turn to snort a laugh in his glass of water.

With a smirk Missouri got up, went to the counter to pay for her meal and left, leaving Dean free to scoot closer to his mate and Cas to lean on his side. 

“Hey babe, sounds like a good idea.”

“Yes, I think it is. I was going nuts at home all day.”

“I understand that. Sorry for overreacting.” Dean leaned a bit more to peck his mate on the cheek and Cas smiled a shy thing that did magic to his libido, not that he needed the help.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Dean, it’s a stressful period and I should have thought about it instead of running out as soon as I got out of bed.”

“Well, let’s call it even and that’s it. Did you like the burger?”

“Mmm, I did. It made me very happy,” answered Cas, turning fully towards Dean and blinding him with the light of his eyes. “Thank you for suggesting it to me, but I need to tell you a secret: I like yours better.” He whispered next to his ear, his breath sending shivers down the Alpha’s spine. Dean bit a groan, because this was so not the time or the place, but set his hand on his mate’s thigh, a little too high to be innocent. The slight dilatation of Cas’ pupils meant his message had been received.

“So, headed out to the Motel?”

The rest of the lunch was spent discussing wages, hours, and plans for the night, which included spaghetti carbonara and The good, the Bad, and the Ugly, along with other plans that couldn’t be discussed in such a public setting.

When Dean came back to the garage he was almost feeling like himself again and wondering why they hadn’t thought of having lunch together sooner: the ache was still there but dulled somehow. He could actually work on his project for the entire afternoon and Ash and Garth left him be, which he was sure he needed to thank Bobby for.

At the end of the day, and after having, in fact, thanked Bobby, he went home with a feeling of anticipation instead of just need, and the reunion with Cas was even sweeter for that.

\---

Sam was having a fairly good week, all things considered. The things to be considered were that he still felt like an ass for his behavior the previous week, Kevin laughed his ass off when he recounted the weekend -going as far as saying that he would have loved to be a fly on the wall to witness Sam being flustered by a beta ten years his senior and half his height- and he had a dreadful final to prepare. The good things were better, though, as in he was going to a party with Jess and he had almost finished his paper. The last pages of his paper were coming slowly, but he was determined to have it done before going out, so he would not feel bad about spending the night partying and maybe more than that. 

When he got out he was fashionably late, meaning he was two hours late, and knew he would find all his college friends quite intoxicated already. It wouldn’t change a thing, seeing that he didn’t drink at all; having an alcoholic father and adoptive father meant he didn’t trust alcohol, and except for a light beer sometimes with Dean, he avoided it. It also made him the perfect designated driver and his phone blinked with texts from his friends that were starting to worry at his delay. 

He arrived at Brady’s house half an hour later and was welcomed by the heavy sound of music that poured from the windows, opened despite the freezing cold. It wasn’t really his kind of music -he was more of a pop kind of guy, much to his brother’s despair- but it was danceable and that was all that mattered. Inside the house the atmosphere was stifling, humid and hot. The open windows made more sense now. The house was crawling with people milling around, grinding on each other more or less on rhythm with the music. The lights were mostly off except for some Christmas lights set around the living room and hallways. The ground was mostly covered in red cups, as was a large part of the furniture. 

Sam blinked twice or three times to adjust his vision to the dark and find his friends. Most of the people there were human, so the smells weren’t as overwhelming as they would’ve been with a house full of weres, but it made relying on his nose a lot more difficult than usual.

Sam was used to humans by now, despite having spent his entire childhood and teenage years in a were environment. The two species lived together without melting much, except for the college years when all kids were to attend the same courses. It was officially to facilitate were-human relationships, but Sam knew it didn’t work that way. The wolves usually preferred being by themselves, with their traditions, religions, and habits, and humans… well, a lot of humans were simply afraid. The wolves were quicker, stronger, moved in packs, while the humans had only numbers on their side, with a side of individuality that didn’t sit well with the weres. 

Sam knew he was lucky to be in a family and a pack that accepted the fact that he was dating a human girl, as a lot of packs had forbidden it. Bobby didn’t buy the purity bullshit- and that’s why Sam was here looking for the girl he had been dating for the past month, skirting around people dancing and people too-drunk-to-dance.

The music was getting louder and louder the more he approached the DJ table, and still no sign of blonde curls. He bypassed the station and went towards the kitchen, stuffed full of people as the living room had been, but it was still empty of a tall, blonde girlfriend. He said hello to a couple of friends, asking if they knew where Jess was, but nobody could give him an answer. It was when he reached the back door and glanced outside that the world stopped turning for a beat. 

Jess was there, back pushed against the railing of the back porch, a guy pressed against her, her hands in his hair and his hands on her... yeah, looked like the guy’s hands were on her ass. The guy’s tongue was also in her mouth, and Sam just stood, frozen, watching his girlfriend making out with another guy, for a few moments too long. He was peeping long enough for the kiss to finish and for Jess’ eyes to find his behind the glass door, her expression a little alcohol-glazed but still cognizant enough to realize that it wasn’t the situation she wanted to find herself in. 

Sam started to turn, still rendered a bit stupid from the sight, when a warm hand caught his arm and tugged, inviting him to turn. He did and faced the music.

“Sam! I... “

“Save it.”

Behind her stood fucking Brady, one of his mates from college, one he believed was a friend, and that made his blood boil.

“Brady? What the fuck, Jess?!?” He shouted, now snapping out of his stupor, uncaring of the dozens of witnesses around them. Jess had, at least, the grace to blush.

“I’m sorry, Sam, we were drunk and I don’t know what happened...”

The smug little tilt of Brady’s lips told another story, one that Sam didn’t want to hear. He pulled his arm back from Jess’s grip and, without another word, turned to get out. He could hear his name shouted above the rest of the noises, but it was quickly drowned out by the pounding of his heart in his ears, the now overwhelming smell of the alcohol, the presence of too many people, and body odor. Once he reached the front of the house he could breathe for what felt like the first time in ages. His thoughts were muddled, his brain replaying without mercy the scene he had just seen, the little smirk on his -ex- friend’s lips, the unwillingness from his friends to tell him where Jess was, the music, the lights, the smell, everything was just too much.

He got in the car as soon as he could and started it without waiting another second. He drove aimlessly for a while, trying to calm his raging brain and accomplishing very little. 

One hour later he found himself outside of Dean’s cabin and decided it was an emergency. It was the middle of the night, sure, but an _emergency,_ so he climbed the stairs two at a time and knocked a bit forcefully against the door. He waited for a minute, pacing, unable to stand still. When the door opened, revealing his brother with soft hair, a too-tight t-shirt, orange boxers, and a murderous expression, he blurted:

“I caught Jess making out with Brady at a party and I really need you.”

Dean sighed and opened the door more, letting him pass. Cas stood farther back, peering into the living room, his sleepy face holding a frightening expression too. He shrugged, too wound up to feel self-conscious about barging in at past midnight. Dean went to Cas then, murmuring something in his ear, and the Omega’s face softened. He nodded in Sam’s direction and turned back to the bedroom.

Sam collapsed on the couch and soon found himself with a tall glass of water in his hands and an -albeit sleepy- empathetic brother sitting beside him. They let the silence stretch for a bit, then Sam started to tell his story: the one of the night he just had, and the ones he didn’t have the time to tell Dean in the previous weeks. Dean listened, mostly quiet except when he offered Sam chocolate, and let him vent for a good hour. When Sam felt his eyelids become heavy, he hugged his brother, drinking in his familiar and yet slightly different scent and murmuring thanks beside his ear. Dean patted him on the back, offered two blankets to sleep in, and said goodnight. 

Sam fell asleep cradled by the soothing scents of his brother and his mate, and it smelled like family.

\---

When Castiel woke up in the morning it was to an empty bed and the scent of coffee, as usual, but there were some differences: first of all, he was wearing a shirt and underwear; second of all the old books scent reminded him that he had a, probably, very upset Alpha in his house. 

The previous night, when Sam came in after midnight, Castiel hadn’t been happy. The fact that his brother-in-law needed to learn some boundaries was obvious, but he calmed down as soon as he saw his stricken face, and Dean came in later to tell him briefly what happened. He had left the brothers alone, then, but had a bit of trouble falling asleep again. 

His alarm indicated that he needed to get up if he didn’t want to be late at Missouri’s, so he quickly went to the bathroom to shower and dress before joining a defeated looking Sam at the table with a cup of coffee. 

“Hello, Sam. Do you want something to eat?”

“No, thanks Cas, Dean already left me a plate of eggs and toast. He left half an hour ago.”

“Yes, I know, I’m leaving soon too.”

“Oh? Where are you going? I’m going to-”

Castiel lifted a hand to stop Sam’s babbling and rejoiced in the quiet moment by taking a sip of his bitter beverage. 

“I’m working at Missouri’s, she offered me a job two days ago. I like her and it keeps me distracted. But you can stay if you like. Have you told someone you were here or is Bobby looking for you everywhere?” Castiel teased a little, but Sam just sighed.

“Thanks for the offer, but I need to go, I have classes this morning. I just really don’t want to go, you know? I feel... humiliated. Yeah, Bobby knows, Dean texted him almost as soon as I arrived.” Sam shrugged, his expression sad.

“You want to talk about it?”

“Not really, not now. I need to... I don’t know. I need to go. I’m sorry for barging in in the middle of the night, but I just...” The Alpha shrugged again, and Castiel nodded.

“Yes, I know, don’t worry. Why don’t you come back this evening and we can have dinner? I think Dean wanted to have pizza.” 

Finally some light was back in those hazel eyes and a little smile pulled at his lips.

“I’ll think about it, ok? I wouldn’t want to disrupt your domestic life even more.”

Castiel laughed and went to put his cup in the sink, then patted Sam’s back in his way to the door.

“Come on, Sam, let’s face our days. It’ll be easier tomorrow.”

Sam nodded and reached for his coat and, in a matter of minutes, the cabin was empty once again.

\---

Work, Castiel was discovering, was fun. Sure, it had probably more to do with the fact that his boss was a good person, albeit scarily intuitive, but he enjoyed the time he spent at the counter of the motel. Answering the phone, checking emails and reservations, greeting the guests with a smile, all this distraction made the separation from Dean a lot more bearable. They also started to eat lunch at the Roadhouse every day together and that helped, too, just as much as talking to people outside of the phone. Missouri was often busy, but Tracy, the Beta girl that worked as a maiden, was a nice source of chatter. 

When he went to lunch with Dean he told him about his proposition to Sam and saw his mate’s face light up like a damn lamp. 

“You... you really don’t mind?” Dean asked, a bit bashful, chewing on a fry. It looked like Dean’s order at the Roadhouse was the same every day and Castiel couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that the Alpha was so fit while eating burgers and fries all the time. He had switched for the day’s special -a hearty soup with leeks, potatoes, and bacon- and was already thinking about going for a run to burn the heavy cream calories.

“I don’t mind, Dean, or else I wouldn’t have asked. And I was thinking maybe we should set up the guest bedroom if every week one of our brothers invites themselves for a slumber party.” He smirked at the laugh Dean let free while nodding his assent.

“Yes, sounds like a good idea. What color did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking magenta,” he replied with mirth in his voice, already imagining any of their guests settled in a dark pink room “but I think Gabriel would love it too much, so maybe something simple like white and grey?”

Dean laughed again, probably also thinking about Gabriel lounging in a magenta bedroom.

“Yeah, I think your brother would enjoy it a little too much, white and grey is more apt for a guest bedroom anyway, but we can add some magenta touches to ours if you want.” The Alpha eyes twinkled and Castiel raised an eyebrow as if challenging him. “Or, when we have the money for it, we could paint the wall in magenta.”

“No, I was thinking more of a royal blue for our bedroom, but we’ll see.” 

Dean nodded and went back to his fries. 

“We’ll need Sam’s help with the guest bedroom. It has nothing to do with distracting him.”

“Of course, nothing to do with that at all.”

They smiled at each other and finished their lunch.

\---

They ordered pizza that night and Sam recounted his story to Cas. How he was Jess’ friend for almost two years, how almost his entire group of friends -except for the ones that came from the pack- had been hers first, how he considered Brady a friend, how hard it had been to make a move on the blonde and how fucking painful it was to witness what he did. 

The tale of the day was new for Dean too, so he listened to his brother as he recounted the sheer humiliation at meeting the two in class, how Jess had tried to explain that she didn’t think it meant anything, that she hadn’t thought they were exclusive yet. She should have because Sam was a wolf, and wolves didn’t share. Not all Alphas were the jealous or the possessive type, but most weres were monogamous and, when in a relationship, it wasn’t usually a discussion worth having. Dean guessed, now with reason, that humans were different in that regard. Cas, blunt as usual, didn’t think to keep his reasoning for himself.

“Well, Sam, that’s an experience we all had.” He shrugged. “That’s why most of us stick to wolves once we decide to stop sleeping around.” 

Sam sputtered and Cas, the little shit, smirked. 

“Oh, you thought you were the only one? I went to college too, you know. Lots of people.”

Dean realized a little bit too late that a growl was making its way up his throat and Cas was wearing a very smug expression, while Sam was clearly trying not to laugh. He gave them both the finger and stood to go fetch another beer. 

He could hear them talk from the kitchen and Sam was going on about how he had thought that Jess could be “the one”. Dean scoffed, because the concept of “the one” had always made him scoff, then remembered that he was, in fact, the last person on earth who could scoff at that concept. Hmm, weird. 

The following morning, while Sam was still snoring lightly on their couch and Cas was grumbling about waking up this early on a weekend and lamenting the fact that they had slept in pajamas again, the couple left for the store and bought only the essentials to make the guest room liveable. 

They put Sam to work and fed him as payment and, all in all, it was a good weekend. Even better was falling asleep curled around his mate’s back, naked as intended, when Sam stayed at Bobby’s on Sunday night.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to every one of you who's reading this! Thanks for the kudos, the comments, the subscriptions, they mean the world to me and help me to keep going with this story when I feel a bit distant about it.
> 
> If you happen to like The Witcher check my other works :D
> 
> I love to hear your feedbacks so don't hold back!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bobby put a hand on the speaker and barely lifted his eyes on his second.
> 
> “What?”
> 
> “A guy, Benny Lafitte, is out there and wants to talk with you.”
> 
> “Why?”
> 
> “Don’t know, didn’t say. I told him to wait for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's have some angst, shall we?

“What’s up, bitches! I bring coffee and amazing company!”

Castiel glared at Charlie half-heartedly, his hand already making grabby gestures at the steaming cup in the Alpha’s hands. 

“Give me that, Charlie. Why are you not at work?” It was too early for the kind of energy Charlie exuded. It was Monday, and nine am, and Castiel was tired and not in the mood. He also knew he had exactly zero chances at shooing Charlie away in less than half an hour, so he didn’t even try.

“Because I didn’t feel like it. I felt like it was a good morning to come and annoy my newest friend, friend!”

Castiel grunted from behind the counter of the motel and sipped his coffee. Well, at least the bribe was worth it. 

“Sooo... how’s it hanging?” Charlie asked, jumping on the counter and sipping on her own cup, which probably contained something with the same amount of sugar Castiel consumed in a week. All the new people in Castiel’s life had strange food habits.

“A bit to the left, as usual,” he answered, his standard response for Gabriel who was, allegedly, the only person he knew who still used that expression. Well, not the only one anymore.

“Well, that I didn’t need to know,” she said, scrunching her face a bit. 

“You asked, though.”

“Smartass.”

Castiel smirked. He liked Charlie, even on Monday mornings. The Alpha was a ball of energy wrapped in the most geeky exterior ever made, but she was fun and smart and a lot wiser than she looked. 

“And you, Charlie? How is Dorothy?”

The Alpha turned her face in his direction, a glint in her eyes.

“Oh, she’s good, she’s very good. So yesterday..”

“Let’s make a deal: I will not inform you of the position of my penis in the future and you will not tell me about your sex life. Deal?” he quickly interposed. 

“You’re absolutely no fun, but deal.”

Castiel shrugged, finishing his coffee, as Charlie talked about her girlfriend and how she was preparing to spend Yule with her father a pair of states away.

“And so, I don’t know what I’m doing for Yule,” she said, trying to sound cheerful and missing it by a mile. “I usually celebrate with the Singers, but they’re going to yours, so...”

“Gabe invited you too, though,” Castiel noted, raising an eyebrow in her direction. Did she forget?

“Me? I’m not family, Cas, I could never...”

“Well, you look pretty much family to me, and I think Gabriel would be offended if you denied his invitation.” He probably wouldn’t, but she didn’t need to know that.

“For real? Like, I could come with all of you for Yule? For real? Because honestly, Cas, that would be awesome.”

He nodded and found himself with an armful of redhead, squeezed in one of her famous hugs.

Right at that moment, the doorbell of the motel rang.

\---

Charlie was happy, no, elated, no, ecstatic. Delighted. Overjoyed. And probably the last cup of coffee was the fourth too many. She had come home very late from her LARPing weekend and, basically, she hadn’t slept. Two in the morning was a pretty good time to start a quest and then she had lost sense of time and when she looked at the time while she was making her I-don’t-even-know-anymore cup of coffee it was eight am. She felt tired, her eyes were burning, but she needed to use her coffee-related energy before she could go to sleep. Therefore, Castiel. And now she had plans for Yule and that was the best thing ever because Yule was her favorite holiday and spending it alone would have sucked. 

She was still hugging Cas, who was still _not_ responding as needed, when she heard a throat being cleared just behind her. She released the Omega and turned, debating with herself if it was polite to stay on the counter or not and deciding to go down. 

The Alpha who probably wanted to check in was a burly man, as tall as Castiel, with sparkling blue eyes and a well-trimmed short beard. He was wearing a blue coat and a blue fisherman cap and had a knowing smirk on his lips. When he talked his voice had a southern accent.

“Well, I wasn’t tryin’ to interrupt, fellas, sorry for that.”

There was nothing to interrupt, but Charlie just shrugged. Castiel, on the other side of the counter, had already assumed a very professional demeanor.

“Hello sir, my name is Castiel, welcome to the Moseley Motel, how can I help you?”

“Hi...” the guy glanced at Charlie, then back at Castiel, “Castiel, I was hoping to rent a room for a couple of nights and maybe you could give me some information.”

“Sure, sir.”

“Oh, call me Benny.” The Alpha smiled, and Charlie thought it was a kind smile. 

“I have a single with a queen bed available for the next few days, would that be ok?”

“Sounds perfect.”

The exchange of keys, information, and money was made, while Charlie finished her now cold coffee. 

“So, Castiel, I’m looking for Alpha Singer, can you tell me where I can find him?”

Charlie perked up at that. It wasn’t an everyday occurrence that some stranger sought out Bobby.

“Well, you’ll probably find him at Singer’s garage, down the street. Can’t miss it. If he’s not there, one of his employees will be able to help you.” Castiel answered, smiling tightly. Charlie thought he was faking his smile, which wasn’t a very Cas thing to do, and she found it weird.

“Thank you very much, Castiel. I’m going to leave you and your Alpha alone now, have a good day!” Benny said as he exited the reception, leaving a very flustered Charlie behind. When she turned towards Cas, though, the Omega looked calm.

“Wha... How… Why?” she sputtered, and the Omega just shrugged. 

“I don’t know, I don’t care.”

“I’m not your Alph… Why didn’t you correct him!”

Cas just laughed. “Sure you’re not. But if he wants to assume, it’s not my problem, is it? Why, you want to go after him? Thought he wasn’t your type.” He smirked, and Charlie shuddered in response.

“Brr, no thank you. So, what do you think he wants from Bobby?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it. With all the mess between the packs it could be anything.” The Omega looked guarded and was distractedly tidying up his counter which was already pretty clean.

“Sounded nice, though,” she said absently.

“Hm,” was the inspiring answer. Charlie changed the subject then, trying to convince the Omega of the absolute awesomeness of LARPing and how he should totally join her next time, but Castiel wasn’t really into it. Not even the promise of Dean in chainmail could rip him from his mood.

Charlie shrugged and said her goodbyes. She still had too much caffeine running through her veins, but it was nothing a good raid couldn’t fix. Then a nap, and then Dorothy’s house. The day was looking good.

\---

“Hi, I’m looking for Bobby Singer? I’ve been told I could find him here.”

Dean looked up from the engine he was working on and saw a man with wide shoulders, dressed in a blue coat and blue hat, standing in the middle of the garage. His voice was deep and held an accent that seemed... Cajun, maybe? 

“Hi, I’m Dean. Bobby’s on the phone in his office at the moment, but I can tell him you’re here if you want to wait.”

As Dean approached the man, he noticed the beard, the blue eyes (not quite the same blue as Cas, not as big, but still strikingly blue) and the Alpha scent that emanated from the man. He was quite handsome and yes, Dean was mated and happily so, but he wasn’t blind now, was he?

“Thank you, Dean, that would be nice.” answered the man. “I’m Benny Lafitte.”

Dean nodded and went to the office, barging in without knocking. Bobby, as predicted, was on the phone. The Alpha put a hand on the speaker and barely lifted his eyes on his second.

“What?”

“A guy, Benny Lafitte, is out there and wants to talk with you.”

“Why?”

“Don’t know, didn’t say. I told him to wait for you.”

A gruff grunt was the only response he got and he took it as the dismissal it was, closing the door on Bobby speaking harshly about spare pieces. 

“He’ll call you as soon as he’s finished,” Dean told the man, who was standing exactly where he left him, hands in his coat pockets and an overall relaxed air about him. “Can I ask you what your business is?”

“Sure, chèr. I’m here to ask for pack membership.”

Dean managed to not choke on his saliva, but it was a close thing. Pack memberships were not an everyday occurrence at all. Most people were born in a pack and died in that pack and that was that. People changed packs after a ban, or when there were serious issues within the pack that just couldn’t be resolved. Except for his family, Dean didn’t know anybody who had changed packs for other reasons than the simplest one of all, mating. 

“Oh, wow, that... that’s unexpected. Can I ask you why?” he asked, curious.

The other Alpha smirked. “Well, I’m sure you’re a good guy, but I prefer to discuss it directly with your Alpha if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Dean didn’t mind, because he would know as soon as Bobby knew and keeping his role in the pack under the radar for a few more moments couldn’t be a bad thing. “I’m sure he will be here in a moment. Are you just passing by or...?”

“I took a room at the motel, I know this kind of thing can take a few days.”

Dean smiled at hearing this. It meant the guy probably had seen Cas this morning.

“It’s a good motel, with good people working in it.”

“Yeah, I met the receptionist this morning, even if I think I interrupted something with his Alpha,” Benny smirked and winked. 

Alpha? What Alpha? The receptionist’s Alpha was very much not at the motel that morning, because he was at the garage, working, while Cas was flirting with who knows who and... 

“Both quite dashing, blue eyes and redhead.” Dean’s thoughts were interrupted abruptly and he laughed. Must have been Charlie. No worries there.

“Ah, sorry, that’s the most hilarious... but no, no, they’re not together.” he managed to say between fits of laughter.

“They’re not? They looked awfully friendly though, the Alpha was practically sprawled on top of the Omega when I came in.” The guy sounded confused and Dean laughed even more.

“Yeah, no, they’re friends.” and Dean explained the misunderstanding to Benny, who laughed too, and when Bobby came to call him in his office, the two had something like an appointment for lunch at the Roadhouse. Dean went back to work with the feeling he just had met someone who could be a good friend.

\---

The guy was tall as Castiel and twice as large, Bobby thought, watching him enter his office. They shook hands politely, the head of the other Alpha slightly bowed in sign of submission. Good. Bobby gestured to the free chair and went to sit on his own, clasping his hands on the desk.

“So, what can I do for you, Mr. Lafitte.”

“I’m here to officially ask for membership inside the Singer pack for me and my mate, Andrea. We’re actually in the Campbell pack but we can’t stay a minute longer.”

Bobby, for a long time, was speechless. He tried to mask it under a glare from behind his cap, but his mind was reeling. A Campbell? Was he there to spy? To mine the pack from the inside? The coincidence was too strong for it to be a legitimate request.

“Why?”

The man sat a bit straighter in his chair.

“You may not know, but Samuel Campbell left the leadership to his nephew Christian who, to be very clear, is an entitled dick and an idiot. He’s paranoid, and has put most of us under various types of surveillance, and it’s only gotten worse from there. We’re expecting pups and I don’t want my mate to live her pregnancy in a state of stress because our Alpha can’t keep his shit together. We know yours is a good pack, with honest people, and that you’re a good Alpha, so we would like very much to enter your pack.”

Bobby frowned. Yes, Christian Campbell was a douche, but he didn’t think Samuel would have let things get that bad.

“What does Alpha Samuel say about the situation?”

“Alpha Samuel is sick, even if nobody says that in so many words. He’s holed up in his cabin and nobody has seen him in at least six months. I don’t know if he’s still holding Christian’s hand but, from what I’ve seen, I don’t think so.”

“Hm.” 

Time to think, Bobby needed time to think. He needed advice from Dean, too, and Ellen, Rufus, and Jody. He held up a finger to signal the stranger to wait a minute and sent a group text summoning them for a meeting that night. Once that was done, he turned back to the Alpha.

“Do you know what went down at the last packs meeting, Mr. Laffitte?”

“No Sir, I have no idea. I’m not exactly in the inner circle.”

Bobby nodded, agreeing that if the guy was here, he was probably nowhere _near_ the inner circle.

“Well, Christian Campbell almost declared war amongst the packs. So, you see kid, it’s a bit difficult for me to trust you right away.”

He saw the wolf blanch, his eyes widening. His scent spiked with anxiety, even if his overall demeanor remained stoic. A good facade, but Bobby was better. All signs seemed to point to the fact that the guy was honest, but still, Bobby didn’t believe in coincidences.

“I’m sorry Sir, I swear I didn’t know about this at all.”

“Listen, kid.” Kid was every person younger than him, so the guy, even if he was obviously in his thirties, was still a kid. “I’m going to bring your case to my council tonight. I ain’t promising you anything, but I’ll bring your case. Leave me your number and I’ll call you back.”

The burly guy nodded, took a pencil and a post-it from the desk and jotted down his number. After some awkward goodbyes, Bobby found himself alone in his office, his fingers tapping on the desk, his mind in overdrive.

\---

Lunch was hell for Castiel.

It had started ok actually, with Dean coming to get him at the motel and the pair of them walking to the Roadhouse hand in hand. But then there was Benny. Castiel had absolutely no idea how the Alpha had ended up at his lunch date and Dean offered no explanation, just greeted the guy and waved in Jo’s direction and directed the three of them to their usual table.

Castiel was uncomfortable and silent during most of the meal. His focus was on trying to reign in his scent because he didn’t want to expose himself.

It’s not that he didn’t like the guy. He seemed nice and clearly got along great with Dean, and he even almost smelled good for an Alpha that wasn’t Dean. Castiel just, plainly, didn’t trust the Alpha. His protective nature tended to be alarmed by a stranger showing up and asking for a meeting with the Alpha of the pack. Castiel had lived his whole life with pack Alphas, and he knew that coincidences like these weren’t very common. He wanted to ask what the meeting with Bobby was about, but he didn’t trust himself to not make it sound like an interrogation, so he resisted. 

He also didn’t want to interrupt this... what was this? A date? Between his mate and his new friend? Castiel could feel a foreign bitterness crawling up his throat and he tried to wash it down with his glass of water, without much success. Was he jealous, he asked himself? And, as he watched the two Alphas laughing at something one of the two had said, clinking their beers and chomping on their twin cheeseburgers, patting each other on the back as if they had known each other for ages, he concluded that yes, he was very much jealous. He didn’t make Dean laugh like that. His glass contained water and his plate contained a grilled chicken breast with a side of salad. His mood soured further with the realization and his scent must have spiked then, because Dean looked at him with a concerned expression. Before he could say anything, Castiel pushed aside his plate and stood.

“Well, I need to get back to the motel. I’ll see you later, I guess?” he asked his mate, trying to keep the pleading tone from his question. He was being overly dramatic and he knew it. 

“Yeah, babe, sure, I’ll see you at home. Everything alright?”

“Hm, yes, yes of course. Benny, have a nice lunch, I’ll probably see you back at the motel.” Unless I can put Tracy behind the counter and go hide somewhere like a little kid, he didn’t add. 

“Sure, Castiel. I’ll see you.”

Castiel nodded and went to say goodbye to Jo, who was looking concerned too but had the grace not to ask.

Once he reached the motel he checked his phone, seeing his plans for the night had just changed. A massive reunion was about to happen at the Singer’s house and Castiel was surprised to see himself invited. He hadn’t been in the pack for long and, with the number of people in the council, he didn’t think his opinion would be very valuable. Still, if the reunion was about the thing he thought it was about, he wasn’t going to miss it. He probably wouldn’t have missed it even if it was just about Yule decorations, to be fair.

The afternoon dragged. Dean tried to message him a couple of times, but Castiel replied that he was busy and left the texts pretty much unanswered. He was the farthest from busy, he just _didn’t want to talk_. He was pissed at nothing, jealous, frightened, and most of all he was feeling insecure. Castiel didn’t _do_ insecure. It wasn’t in his character. He was usually a very self-assured person, despite the flaws he knew he had. Right now, his mind was whirling with negative thoughts about himself in a way that was almost as bad as the first days of drop one week prior; only this time chocolate didn’t help, not even after three Twix.

When the time came for the end of his shift, Benny still hadn’t come back and Castiel was relieved for that. He packed his things in his backpack quickly and purposely got home earlier than Dean. He left his clothes on the back of the sofa, shifted and went for a quick run in the forest, letting his mind go blank in his wolf form, focusing on tracking a lonely rabbit for half an hour. When he came back, the Impala was parked in front of the cabin.

\---

Dean was at a loss. 

He understood that something went sour with Cas but he didn’t completely understand what. 

At lunch his mate was fairly silent, for starters. He didn’t know why, because for as much as Cas wasn’t exactly a chatterbox, he also wasn’t shy or easily intimidated. Then there was the spike of... pain, or something similar in his scent, but Dean couldn’t smell blood, and then Cas just stood up and left, without even a second glance. 

Then there was the punch in the arm from Jo, a little harder than usual.

At least the guy, Benny, was fun. They had a very similar sense of humor and similar taste in food, and that was almost as good of a friendship base as anything. 

When he went back to work Bobby told him about the meeting with the Alpha and Dean had been stunned to learn he came from the Campbells. He understood Bobby’s reticence, of course, even if he didn’t share it. His feelings about Benny were good, he seemed like a good guy, an honest guy, but the troubled times required some extra attention. 

He tried to text Cas a couple of times, but the terse responses were enough to make him desist. He was feeling uneasy but tried to shake the feeling and focus on his work. 

Things became harder to ignore when he came home to an empty cabin and clothes left haphazardly on the couch, a clear signal that Cas had gone for a run. Cas usually didn’t run in the evening, so that was weird. They also had a reunion waiting for them at Bobby’s and they couldn’t be late, but he knew he had no means to contact Cas while he was in wolf form. He just hoped he would come back early enough, and began to pace in the living room, not even bothering to change clothes. When the door opened to let his naked mate in, Dean was unable to stop himself.

“What the fuck, Cas, we’re supposed to be at Bobby’s in fifteen!”

Cas’s skin was flushed from the exercise and the cold, his hair a mess from the wind, his eyes shining: he was a sight to behold, but Dean didn’t have the time to focus on that. He almost missed the way the Omega face closed off.

“Well, go, I’ll join as soon as I’m showered.” His voice was clipped, a rumble with undertones of thunderstorms, and he passed next to Dean without even looking him in the eyes, let alone kiss him or scent him or any of the things that made their daily reunion the favorite moment of Dean’s day. The Alpha, dumbfounded, watched him enter the bathroom and shut the door with way more force than necessary. 

“I’m not going without you, so hurry up!” he shouted at the closed door. 

He was clearly missing something. Cas was pissed at him, that much was clear, but he couldn’t apologize if he didn’t even know why, so this was a fun situation. He continued to pace, wondering vaguely if he was drawing lines in the floorboards with his boots. 

Luckily the shower was a short affair, so the couple was in Baby heading in the direction of the Alpha house in no time. Cas still hadn’t uttered a word and his scent was still tinged with that undertone of hurt Dean couldn’t wrap his head around. For his sanity’s sake he decided to let it go for the moment, after his inquiries were answered with a very cold and short “I’m fine.”

When they reached the family home, Dean could already feel the beginning of a tension headache. He got out of the car and breathed a big gulp of fresh air, hoping it would be enough to clear his head and help him focus on the pack matters.

\---

They were all gathered around the kitchen table when Bobby asked for silence. Not that it was a difficult request, because as soon as Dean and Castiel entered the room, a heavy scent of tension filled it, quieting all previous discussions. Bobby wondered what it was about, but he had no time for lovers’ quarrels. 

“So. An Alpha came in today and asked for membership. He’s a Campbell. Dean and Castiel have met him. What should we do?”

Dry and to the point was the way Bobby liked his meetings, but he had a feeling this one was going to be a little bit more complicated. 

“Well, Alpha, let’s start with what you thought of the guy,” Jody said. Jody was the sheriff of the little weres town, a no-nonsense Alpha with short black hair and a motherly air that could disappear quickly when she was pissed. Bobby respected her a lot and the feeling was mutual: they made a great team.

“The guy isn’t from the Campbell family. He asks for membership for him and his mate, who’s pregnant,” Bobby didn’t miss the frown on Castiel’s face, “because it seems that Christian Campbell is going off the rails with his paranoia and he’s starting to monitor his people. Samuel is allegedly sick and hasn’t been seen in months. Benny Lafitte, that’s his name, seems like a good guy. So he either has good control over his scent, or he’s actually honest in his intentions. The time frame, though, is more than suspicious. Dean, your opinions?”

Finishing his piece, Bobby went to retrieve some beers from the fridge for everyone. Rufus looked at him as if he had offended him, as usual, so after the distribution of beers Bobby found a bottle of bourbon and served himself and his former second.

“Well, I had lunch with the guy. He didn’t want to tell me why he was asking for membership and Bobby told me that after lunch, so I couldn’t dig, but he seems like a good guy.” Dean said, echoing Bobby’s statement.

Bobby could almost feel the mood exuding from Castiel like it was a living thing crawling on his skin. The Omega was very quiet, fiddling with his beer cap, leaning on the back of his chair as if he was trying to put some space between himself and the table. It was a strange behavior for the usually outspoken and confident Novak. 

“Castiel, I know Benny is a guest at the motel, what was your feeling upon meeting him?”

“I think it’s pretty suspicious that someone from Campbell rings on our door two weeks after a war declaration. I don’t know about Benny, he doesn’t... I don’t know. It’s not personal. I just don’t trust the timing of this.”

Bobby had a feeling that things were actually pretty personal, but he didn’t ask. 

Soon everybody was talking at the same time: Dean was trying to convey his feelings about the stranger, Rufus was refusing to even consider the option of letting him stay, Jody was trying to find a compromise, Castiel was silent and retreating more and more into himself. Ellen, Charlie, and Sam, who weren’t supposed to be present at a council meeting at all, but were there anyhow because Bobby had asked, were listening to the argument and nodding along. Charlie and Sam were also glancing at Cas with growing concern on their faces. 

The gravelly sound of his son-in-law broke the discussion: “We should send him back for intel.”

“What?” answered Dean, now on the other side of the table. Castiel seemed to gather himself and stood straighter in his chair.

“We should send him back for intel. He wants to be part of this pack? Ok. But he’s also our way into the Campbell pack. So we should ask him to go back -he should go back anyway if he’s supposed to bring his mate and, I suppose, more things than one can stuff into a single duffle- and gather as much information about Christian’s project after his little stunt at the meeting.”

Bobby considered this and he could see the others were also. Only Dean seemed a bit thrown back.

“He claims he has no access to the inner circle, though.” said the pack Alpha.

“Yes, he claims that. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. If it’s not and he’s been sent here to spy on us, he’ll have nothing to report. We obviously won’t take everything he reports back to us as automatic truth, it could be gossip or even false intel, but at least we’ll have something.” replied the Omega calmly. 

“I agree with the kid,” said Jody, and everybody except Rufus nodded. 

“I think it’s a shitty thing to ask,” said Dean, “he shouldn’t have to prove his loyalty by betraying his former pack just to enter ours, that’s not how it should work.”

“And in normal circumstances, it wouldn’t, but these are special circumstances, wouldn’t you say, Dean? Now, just because he’s become your best buddy all of a sudden,” Dean sputtered, eyes wide and disbelieving locked on his mate, who was looking at anyone but him, ”you shouldn’t let it cloud your judgment. We need someone on the inside at Campbell’s and he’s basically offering himself on a silver platter. Let’s take advantage.”

“Why don’t you like him, Cas?” Dean’s voice was tinged with coldness, and sounded restrained as he kept his Alpha voice from seeping through.

“It has nothing to do with me, Dean. We have a dilemma, I’m proposing a solution. It’s not personal.”

“Not personal my ass, it’s been all day-”

“Guys!” interrupted Charlie, patting the table forcefully with her hand. The two mates shut up, glaring at each other, and making everybody feel uncomfortable. “Let’s vote. Who’s for granting membership right away?”

Only Dean lifted his hand.

“Who’s for refusing membership right away?”

Only Rufus lifted his hand.

“Who’s for Cas’ solution?”

Bobby, Jody, Ellen, Charlie, Sam, and Cas lifted their hands.

“Well, it looks like we have a winner,” Charlie concluded, smiling tightly. “I also think we should implement security in town. Jody, I can come by tomorrow to see if we can have some more street cameras or something, and I’ll check the guy on my computer too, so we can find a bit more about him. Sound good?”

Everyone nodded and Bobby smirked. The girl was a force to be reckoned with when she left the geeky exterior behind and let her Alpha shine through. 

“Good. Now, let’s go home, I haven’t slept in two days and I have a damn headache, and if I see your ugly faces for a minute more I’m going to puke. Not you, Ellen, of course.” Charlie beamed at Ellen, then gathered her things and was out of the door in less time than took to say goodbye.

One after the others, everybody said their goodbyes and left. Bobby was a bit worried about Dean and Castiel, but fights were a very standard occurrence in matings, even true ones, and the only way out was through. 

Later, lying in bed, Bobby asked Ellen what she thought it was all about. Ellen laughed.

“Oh, that? That was a very jealous and pissed off Castiel. From what Jo told me Dean invited Benny to their lunch date without telling Cas. When I brought out the lunch Cas’ face was verging on a shade of green, and I didn’t hear him talk once. All the while Dean was having fun with his new buddy, laughing and bumping shoulders, and if I didn’t trust your son, I would have thought he was flirting. So yeah, Castiel is probably very, very pissed and Dean is in a lot of trouble, especially if he doesn’t figure it out quickly.”

Yeah, that made sense. Poor Dean, a jealous Omega was never fun to deal with, but Bobby could sense that Castiel could be even worse. He whispered a prayer to the gods to guide them, snuggled against his mate’s back and drifted to sleep.

\---

The silence lasted until the cabin door was closed behind them both. Castiel was seething, but even he didn’t understand where all the rage was coming from. He could feel the same sentiment coming from Dean in waves of bitter scent, and it was only fueling his own.

“So, care to tell me what was it all about?” Dean started, his voice cold in a way Castiel hadn’t known before.

“What are you talking about?” he replied, his tone as cold as his mate’s.

“All of that, all of today! What’s your damn problem here, Cas? You don’t say a word at lunch, you don’t answer my messages...”

“I was busy.”

“Let’s cut the bullshit, Cas, the motel hasn’t been busy in forever, you just didn’t want to talk to me. Then I come home and you’ve been on a run, and after that, you stand against me in a council meeting? What the fuck is your problem today, Cas?”

“Oh so what, just because I’m your mate I should agree with everything that comes out of your mouth? If you think that, you’re sorely mistaken, Dean.”

“That’s not what this is about and you know it!”

“Looks to me like your Alpha pride is bruised.”

“This has nothing to do with my Alpha pride and all to do with the fact that you’re being an asshole and I don’t even know why!”

“An asshole to whom, your new boyfriend? Just because I’ve proposed a perfectly reasonable solution-”

“No, Cas, to me! And what’s this about my new boyfriend? What are you even talking about?”

“Oh, you think I failed to notice the way you were soo cozy with him at lunch? Or the way you defended him despite all the facts everyone brought up? Looks like a crush to me.”

“Oh, so now I can’t be friendly with people anymore?”

“That is not being friendly, Dean! Being friendly is talking politely and shaking his hand, not inviting him to a lunch date and spending an hour making eyes at him!”

“I wasn’t making eyes at him, for fucks’ sake, what are you even talking about!”

“And all the unnecessary body contact, the pats on the back and the shoving of shoulders, what the hell was that about? I swear you touched him more than you touch me on a regular day at the Roadhouse!”

“That’s totally not true!”

“That’s totally true! And don’t think I didn’t notice he’s absolutely your type, too, black hair and blue eyes, you also have the same food tastes and the same fucking lame sense of humor!”

“Oh, so now my sense of humor is lame?”

“Yes, it is! No, it isn’t! I don’t know!! What makes him so appealing to you, Dean? Why did you have to invite him to our time together -without even telling me about it- and just spend the hour ignoring me? How do you think any of that is ok?”

“I didn’t think inviting one person to lunch once in a while would be such a big deal, gods! You know we can interact with other people aside from each other, right?”

“Hm, so if I invited an unknown Alpha to our table and spent the lunch laughing and touching and completely ignoring you, you would be completely ok with that because I’m allowed to have friends?”

“Of course!”

“You’re not thinking it through, Dean. I’m going to bed, think about it and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

“No you’re not, we’re not finished here!”

“We are finished here if you can’t. See. What’s. Fucking. Wrong.”

“Well, explain it to me!”

“I just did! I just did, but you’re not listening! Listen, why don’t you go have a beer and a chat with your buddy, maybe spend the night with him and come back when your little crush has gone away.”

“What the fuck, Cas!”

“Goodnight, Dean, you can have the guest room tonight.”

“No, Cas, you can’t just... Damn it!”

Castiel shut the door behind him and locked it. Only then, in the solitude of their room, surrounded by their mixed scents and their mixed lives, the Omega fell onto the bed, still entirely dressed, and cried himself to sleep.

\---

Dean was reeling. He sat on the couch and supported his head between his hands, trying to make sense of the day and, even more, of the evening. 

The sound of the slammed door still echoed in his ears, preventing him from thinking clearly and understanding where the fuck all this was coming from. His head pounded in rhythm with his accelerated heartbeat, his eyes were burning and he felt, overall, like he had just run a marathon. 

Dean didn’t like conflict. He had spent his entire childhood and teenage years trying to avoid conflict with his dad, then between his dad and Sam, always in the middle of a shouting match that broke his heart every time. Conflict and yelling made him feel uneasy, and the crippling anxiety that was rising up his spine was uncomfortable. His thoughts were all over the place, but the biggest one was “Has Cas just broken up with me?”.

He knew, somewhere in the logical part of his brain, that this wasn’t what that was about. They weren’t human, their mating wasn’t a fleeting thing that could be destroyed by a single fight. Wolf matings were for life, through every hardship. Nonetheless, Dean felt as if he was on the verge of a cliff and a single gust of wind could make him fall. He felt like an enormous hand was squeezing his ribs and preventing his lungs from being filled, like he was running out of air, and could just die from anxiety right there on his couch, and Cas would be sorry in the morning finding him dead and...

Dean forced a breath in. Then out. Then in again. Out again. He focused his eyes on a crumb on the carpet and tried to clear his mind. Breathe in, breathe out. Slowly, he felt the oxygen reaching his brain again. 

He poured himself a glass of scotch and tried to get his thoughts in order, but every time he went over his fight with Cas, the only thing he remembered was the harsh tone and shouting, not the argument in itself, and he felt his anxiety rise again. He finished his drink, took off his boots, and laid down on the couch. The pillow under his head smelled like him and Cas, like mates, and it made his heart clench. He closed his eyes and the helpful part of his brain proposed a review of the day behind his eyelids. As if he was looking at it on a screen, he fell asleep watching himself laughing at a stupid joke Benny made while Cas became more and more closed off.

When his alarm rang at six am, Dean woke up stiff and uncomfortable, but covered with a soft quilt. It made his heart hurt. 

\---

“So, son, did you have your ass handed to you?” asked a very chipper Bobby as soon as Dean stepped into the garage. Dean answered with a grunt. Bobby took it as an assent.

“Mmm, slept on the couch, too? You look a little stiff.”

“Fuck you, Bobby.”

“Now, do you think that’s the way to talk to your old man?” Another grunt in response. “Go finish the Toyota, princess, you can mull over your problems while fixing brakes.”

\---

From Charlie to Dean: So, what the fuck was yesterday night about?

From Dean to Charlie: I DON’T FUCKING KNOW, Cas went off the rail in some sort of jealous paranoia!

From Charlie to Dean: Sure you didn’t contribute at least a little bit?

From Dean to Charlie: Why must it be my fault???

From Charlie to Dean: Whoa, touchy.

\---

From Charlie to Cas: Wanna vent?

From Cas to Charlie: No.

From Charlie to Cas: Come on, I can bribe you with hot chocolate as soon as I finish at Jody’s.

From Cas to Charlie: I don’t wanna talk, Red.

From Charlie to Cas: Not to be pushy, but I really think you should.

From Cas to Charlie: Well, I talked to the interested party and it amounted to exactly nothing, so I’m just going to keep to myself, thanks. Have a good day.

\---

From Sam to Charlie: So, gathered info?

From Charlie to Sam: They don’t wanna talk, the stubborn asses.

From Sam to Charlie: Dean fucked up, didn’t he?

From Charlie to Sam: Looks like it, but he says he doesn’t know how. 

\---

Castiel’s day was miserable. 

He hadn’t slept, completely lost without the warm body of his mate next to him. The bags under his eyes were the size of international trip luggage. His mood was so dark he could feel the swirls of black smoke around him. 

Tracy, after greeting him when he arrived and receiving a grunt in response, stayed clear of him. He avoided lunch altogether -he wasn’t hungry anyway- and hid in an unoccupied room around the time Dean was supposed to meet him. He knew his behavior was getting ridiculous, but he couldn’t shake the angry feeling he had towards his mate. It wasn’t even what Dean had done anymore, it was the way he didn’t even know what he did.

\---

“Hey Mama, where’s Cas? I came to take him to lunch.” 

Honestly, Dean had exactly zero hope that his mate would have wanted to come to lunch with him, but it was worth a shot. 

“Oh, honey, what happened?”

Missouri lifted her eyes from the crossword she was doing on the reception desk. Her glance was piercing as usual.

“As if you don’t know yet, Missouri.”

“Oh, I do, but I want to hear it from you.”

Dean passed a hand on his face, trying to shake away the weariness.

“We fought, Mama. It was bound to happen sometimes, I know, but he doesn’t want to talk to me and I don’t know how to make it better.”

Missouri hummed, resting her head on her palm.

“Well, what was the problem.”

“There’s a guy who’s requested membership, he’s a funny dude, we had lunch with him yesterday. Seems like Cas didn’t like him.”

“And why is that? Our Castiel seems to like pretty much everybody!”

“I know, right?” Dean replied, gesturing wildly with his hands as if to use some pent-up energy or frustration. “I don’t know, it seems like he’s jealous and he thinks I have a crush on the guy or something!”

“Well, have you?”

“No! Of course no, come on! He’s just a friendly dude, I just think we could be good friends if we had the chance.” The knowing look on Missouri’s face was exasperating. Dean knew he really shouldn’t have talked to her, of all people. Mama Moseley always knew too much. 

“Ok, he’s nice to look at, Mama, but for fucks’ sake…” 

“Language, Dean!”

“For frack’s sake, it doesn’t mean anything!”

Missouri smiled, a small thing that was almost pitying. Dean hated that smile.

“Listen, honey, here’s the thing. Your Omega feels rejected. You invited someone he didn’t know on your date.”

“They had already met.”

“Irrelevant. He doesn’t know him. Then you spent your lunch ignoring your mate in favor of the guy-”

“I didn’t!”

“Don’t lie to me, boy, you totally did, you just don’t realize it. So I’m going to give you some advice: he likes your lasagna very much and he hates to find your socks near the hamper. Do something about it.”

Then the matron just waved at him, dismissing him and going back to her crossword. Dean left the motel, even more confused than before. What kind of fucking advice was that?

So ok, maybe Dean had forgotten to tell Cas about Benny’s presence at lunch. That wasn’t cool. And it was possible that he had spent the hour talking with Benny but, in his defense, Cas was fucking silent! What was he supposed to do, try and pull him into a conversation he clearly didn’t want to have? And maybe yes, Benny was pleasant to look at, but... oh gods, he totally fucked up. 

Dean spent his lunchtime getting groceries, then he called Bobby to take his half-day, and Bobby just grunted his assent, which was as much a blessing as he could get. Once at home he cooked and cleaned and used his frenzy to even clean the windows. Four hours later the lasagna was in the oven, smelling heavenly, and Dean was still fighting with his pride about how to broach the subject. When he heard the door open, his heart skipped a beat. 

\---

Castiel was hungry, tired, and pissed, and the order of those three things varied from second to second. His last real meal was on Sunday night and it was now Tuesday evening and his stomach growled like a wounded beast. He had survived on coffee alone and while that made him somewhat coherent, he could feel his body and mind slowing down. He was angry, at Dean, at himself, at his friends who had thought it’d be nice to try and call him or text him, and didn’t understand the fact that he wanted to be left _alone_. 

Coming back home and finding Baby already parked made his heart sink. He had hoped he could have the house to himself, at least to eat some PB&J, have a quick shower, and go to sleep without ever saying a word to another person, but that wish was dead. Dean was already home, probably waiting for him, and Castiel just didn’t have the strength to carry on another shouting match. He didn’t have the strength to stay out of the house for much longer either, so he went in.

As soon as he was inside, two things hit him: the mouthwatering smell of lasagna, and the vision of a clean and tidy home. Castiel squinted suspiciously at Dean, who was turning to face him from the kitchen where he was getting the baking dish out of the oven. The silence between them stretched for an uncomfortable minute.

“Hi, Cas.”

“Hello, Dean.”

“I’m sorry,” Dean said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Castiel sighed and shed his coat, hanging it next to the door. He didn’t reply.

“I’m sorry for yesterday’s lunch, for not telling you I had invited someone else and for making you uncomfortable, it wasn’t my goal, I swear to you. I do think Benny’s a good guy…” if Castiel had been a cat instead of a wolf he would have hissed at that, “but it doesn’t justify the rude way I treated you yesterday.”

Castiel fell on the couch, bone-tired.

“Did you _want_ to flirt with him?” he just asked, because it was easier than to ask the real question that was eating at him.

“What? No, babe, I didn’t want to flirt with an Alpha.” Castiel just lifted a brow and glanced in Dean’s direction, “Ok, the Alpha bit was totally unnecessary, but no, I don’t want to flirt with anyone, Cas, except for you. I was just being friendly. I may have gone a bit overboard, though.”

Castiel almost snorted at that. Dean sat on the couch next to him, and Castiel was so, so tired, physically, emotionally, that he just leaned against the body he had missed so much. Dean threw an arm around his shoulder and snuggled him closer. 

“I don’t make you laugh like he does.” The confession came quietly, a murmur in the space between them.

“You make me laugh a lot more, though. And you make me happy, Cas, even when I’m not laughing. Even when you’re mad at me, and I’m mad at you, you make me the happiest I’ve ever been.”

Castiel sighed again, resting his head on his mate's shoulder.

“If I don’t eat your deliciously smelling lasagna right this moment I think I’m going to faint.”

“Well, we can’t have that now, can we? Come on, I’ll feed you, and then we’re going to sleep, you look dead on your feet.”

“Can’t sleep without you, Dean. Let’s not do this again.”

“We have a deal. Come on, let’s eat babe.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to every one of you that is reading, liking, commenting, bookmarking, subscribing to this story. Thanks especially to Naomi and Jamie who keep me going when I'm a bit tired and to Crushed especially who ensures you have something readable once she's done her magic. 
> 
> Comments give life to your writers and I'm no exception.
> 
> Next week: winter solstice celebrations!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Alpha went to leave his bags next to the door, where two others were waiting: Sam’s, essential and with a pile of books on top, and Jo’s, open and overflowing. 
> 
> “All bags closed in five minutes!” he shouted, before he went to the kitchen to greet Ellen with a peck and help himself with a healthy plate of eggs and sausage under the defying glaze of his mate.
> 
> “Do you really think the sausage is good for you?”
> 
> “No, but if we don’t eat it it will go bad, and that’s a shame,” he answered, unperturbed. She glowered harder, he shrugged, and that was that, as usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Yule!

Bobby woke up, the day before the winter solstice, alone. That was a rare occasion, since he usually woke up before Ellen and had to disentangle himself from his mate’s limbs every morning. He frowned, got up and dressed for the day, trying to put a little more care in his clothes than the days he went to the garage. That meant the clean pair of jeans he saved for these kinds of occasions, a red checkered plaid that was almost new -couldn’t have been more than five years- and a clean baseball cap with the garage brand upon his combed hair. 

His duffle bag was ready next to the door, as was Ellen’s, so he took them and went downstairs. The house was in full effervescence, with Jo going up and down the stairs looking for something she forgot, Sam roaming around the living room and uselessly checking the wreaths and decorations, probably to use some pent-up energy, Ellen cooking a big breakfast as if they wouldn’t eat anything for the next three days. 

Bobby shrugged. He was the only one, beside Dean and Castiel, to be calm about the fact that they were going to spend three days at the Novaks’ for Yule. He knew the house, and the people, and wasn’t intimidated by the wealth of their hosts. Ellen was wearing a dress, for fucks’ sake, wasn’t it a sight? 

The Alpha went to leave his bags next to the door, where two others were waiting: Sam’s, essential and with a pile of books on top, and Jo’s, open and overflowing. 

“All bags closed in five minutes!” he shouted, before he went to the kitchen to greet Ellen with a peck and help himself with a healthy plate of eggs and sausage under the defying glaze of his mate.

“Do you really think the sausage is good for you?”

“No, but if we don’t eat it it will go bad, and that’s a shame,” he answered, unperturbed. She glowered harder, he shrugged, and that was that, as usual. A morning dance, if one wanted to call it that. 

Five minutes later Jo was trying to fit another unknown number of clothes into her bag with no success, Sam was eating an orange with his nose lost in his phone, and Ellen was finishing her coffee. Bobby stood and went to charge the car, meeting the Winchester-Novak out of the house. They looked good, except for the dark shadows under Cas’ eyes and the all-around air of sleep deprivation. Bobby snorted, because it was clear that the Omega was not used to waking up at the ass-crack of dawn. 

“Want some coffee?”

“Oh gods, yes please,” the kid answered, his already gravelly voice deeper still from sleep. Dean just laughed and pushed his mate toward the house. 

When everything was clean and ready, twenty minutes and several shouts later than what Bobby would have liked, the family was on the road for the first Yule in forever they would not celebrate with their pack. 

Wolves celebrated Yule with their closest family and Bobby had been very honored to be invited by Michael and Gabriel. Dean and Castiel it would have been obvious, but the rest of the Singers -and Charlie, who’s riding in Baby with Dean, Castiel and Sam- were not. The cars were full to the brim of gifts and home cooked meals (nothing Bobby said could prevent Ellen from cooking as if they were going to celebrate at home, not even the assurances that Rachel was a mean cook -that probably made things worse-) and Jo talked non stop for the two hours journey about what she’s going to wear that night for dinner, while Ellen did some crosswords and Bobby limited his side of the conversation to hums.

\---

The last few days had been absolutely insane, from Michael's point of view. 

First Gabriel announced that he invited all the Singers for Yule, including a friend of the family. And while that was good to hear, Rachel was feeling a little overwhelmed with the preparations. After that announcement, Michael had some problems on the job: more meetings than necessary, and the feeling that something wasn’t quite right with the board, but the incapacity to tell what. Then Samandriel had a fever, then it was Amiel (because of course the kids were always sick at almost the same time), and while adult weres were rarely sick, it still happened with children. 

So, the morning before Yule, Michael was exhausted. Even the thought of being on vacation for four days wasn’t enough to reassure him, because his mind couldn’t rest with the troubles he was having. But he had to focus, because the in-laws were coming, and while he was pretty sure that Singer wasn’t expecting too much fuss or fancy, he still had to be a good host. 

“It’s going to be ok, love.” Anna’s presence was a balm against his tight back, and her scent was a balm against his nervousness.

“I know, that’s not really what I’m worried about, you know.”

“I know. Everything will be ok.”

Except for the fact that everything was very not ok. Lucifer was on the run, disappeared from his pack grounds and nowhere to be found. Gabriel hadn’t been able to talk with the Coven, and Naomi was being even more of an uptight bitch than usual. There had been no word from the Campbells either. It was, at the same time, too calm and too hectic, and Michael wasn’t reassured. His instincts told him that something was about to go very wrong, very fast. He just hoped it wouldn’t be Yule. 

“Is everything ready?” He asked Anna, sighing. She nodded against his shoulder.

“It is. Rachel is putting the final touches on lunch, dinner is ready to be warmed up, the Singers are bringing the food for tomorrow. Rachel is going to take her leave at two. The kids are probably breaking the piano and disrupting the tree but…” Michael turned with a terrified expression that only made her laugh, “Don’t worry, they’re in the playroom, not in the den, and everything is ready for tonight, the candles, the log, the run. Relax, love.”

He breathed, trying to do just that, when the bell rang. 

\---

“Fracking frack, Cas, you lived in a castle?” Charlie exclaimed while Dean was parking Baby in front of the manor, mansion, castle, the gigantic house that apparently belonged to Cas’ family.

Dean laughed. “I asked the exact same thing to Bobby when I came here last time.”

Cas just shrugged, and from behind him Charlie could not see what expression graced his face. His scent, though, was happily spiking, probably for the fact that he was going to see all his family for the first time in weeks.

When Gabriel first invited all of them to celebrate Yule, Charlie had obviously thought she wasn’t included. It was one thing to invite family and in-laws, and it was another thing to invite family friends. So when Cas had formally included her, just before the Benny debacle which was not to be mentioned ever if she didn’t want Dean to slit her throat with a sheet of paper -Dean had been very specific in his threat-, she jumped on the offer like a dragon on a treasure. That morning she had been ready for pick up at least twenty minutes before the appointment. 

She glanced at Sam, who was eyeing the house with an awed look too, then exited the car to retrieve her bags from Baby’s trunk. Charlie’s luggage had been a bit of a reason for a shouting match at eight o’clock in the morning in the street in front of her flat, but seriously, Dean should have seen that coming. There was no way she would have left without at least one laptop, her digital camera, a bag of gifts, one of clothes and her backpack filled with countless essential vital things, like headphones, notebooks, and a dress she was finishing for her Queen costume -it needed some embroidery on the front-.

The whole clan moved up the stairs, and seconds after ringing the bell, the massive door opened to reveal a guy who was very, _very_ obviously Cas’ brother. Same hair, almost same eyes, just a pinch taller, the same straight and imposing posture and a warm smile that held some similarities, too. 

“Hello, Alpha Singer, hello everyone. Welcome!” the guy -Michael, Charlie deduced, because she was clever and it wasn’t even hard- said, gesturing for them to come in. Three steps behind the Alpha was a cute redhead thing, who also held herself tall and proud. They made great Omegas in the Novak households. 

Dean introduced her to the couple then moved on, and Charlie admired her surroundings waiting for someone to tell her where to put her stuff. That someone came in the form of a blonde Beta who led all the present pack to a series of clean and cute guestrooms, one of which made Jo shrill with enthusiasm.

Once they were all set -and Charlie had retrieved the wireless password before trying to just bypass it, which was very polite of her, she thought- they gathered for lunch, a rowdy affair with two over-excited kids running around chased by Castiel, Alphas talking on top of each other about one thing or the other, Ellen and Anna talking about food, of course, Gabriel trying to shamelessly flirt with Sam and Sam becoming redder and redder until Charlie kicked the Beta in the shin. 

“You’re no fun, Red,” pouted Gabriel, stuffing his face with yet another date or four.

“I’m tons of fun without being obnoxious, Gabe,” she replied, unperturbed. The guy only shrugged, because he had absolutely zero shame. 

The Novaks were easy company, despite their obviously different upbringing and wealth, and soon everyone -even Ellen- relaxed around the table. After lunch they were all invited to take a good nap and rest for the rest of the nightly celebrations, and Charlie tried, she did, but she ended up in a quest on WoW anyway... She would feel sorry for herself later.

\---

A nap sounded like a great idea for Castiel, but it quickly became obvious that Michael’s plans for him weren’t exactly nap friendly. As soon as the dining room was clear the Alpha’s hand came to rest on his shoulder to stop him from going toward his room, while his brother nodded in Dean’s direction, who nodded in return. Castiel sighed quietly, because as much as he loved his brother and couldn’t wait to talk to him a bit, he really would have preferred if the talk could have come later. Like, after the aforementioned nap.

Dean left the two brothers with just an eyebrow quirk as if to ask confirmation to Castiel, who nodded and directed his steps towards Michael’s office. 

“So, little brother, how are you doing?” asked the Alpha as soon as they stepped in.

“I’m good, Michael, thank you. I have a job!” he smiled, lounging on one of his brother’s extremely comfortable armchairs.

“So I heard. Do you like it?” 

“It’s not exactly what I see myself doing for the rest of my life, but it keeps me busy,” he shrugged, “so that’s good. Missouri is a charming woman, if scary, and it feels good to be useful.”

“Good, good. Dean’s treating you ok?”

Castiel chose his most unimpressed glare to level his brother. Michael just shrugged.

“Can’t blame me for asking, now can you?”

“Yes, brother, my true mate is, shockingly, treating me very well. Our house is... tiny, but comfy, I eat every meal and get fucked very thoroughly on the regular,” he smirked, enjoying the look of absolute panic on Michael's face, who sputtered “Well I didn’t need to know that!”

“You asked.”

“You’re an ass as much as Gabriel and I don’t get how nobody sees it.”

“I’m more subtle when I want to be.”

“Yes, subtle is not a term very suited for Gabe. Well, good, all of... that, that’s good.”

“Very, especially the-”

“I’m going to stop you now, Castiel, thank you very much,” the Alpha sighed, rubbing his eyelids with two fingers as if to calm a headache. Castiel laughed.

“And how are you, Michael?”

“I’m good, good, yeah, I’m good.”

Castiel frowned, not very convinced by the wince in his brother’s tone. “What’s up? You don’t really sound good right now.”

“It’s nothing, just things at work that I can’t really pinpoint.”

“Like what?” the Omega asked, intrigued. Michael had always been a very capable businessman, using knowledge as much as instinct to protect his business as much as his pack. It was the first time Castiel saw him having difficulty with things at work.

“Naomi’s been a pain in my ass these past few weeks, she continues to organize meetings on top of meetings for the stupidest things, drowning everyone in emails about the details, I don’t know. I feel like something’s wrong, but I can’t exactly tell what it is, you know? It’s just driving me crazy, especially since Raphaelle was on vacation last week and I had to shoulder it all alone.”

Raphaelle was Michael’s second in command and, while she was in Haevenson’s pack, she was the person the Alpha trusted the most at Sandover. Of course her absence would make itself known.

“You should enjoy your vacation, Michael, and when you come back you can dig through it all. No reason to warp your head around it right now, don’t you think?”

A humorless laugh was his answer, and he didn’t really like it. 

“I just hope I’ll have the time, little brother, that’s all.”

Oh. _Oh_. So Michael’s bad feelings were really that bad. 

“What does Gabe say?”

“He’s dealing with a lot of things himself, doesn’t really have the time for this.”

Castiel nodded, well aware that Gabriel was trying to deal with the issues that arose at the Packs’ meeting. He stood and went to his brother, laying a hand on his shoulder in a way he hoped was reassuring.

“It’ll be ok, Michael.”

Another mirthless snort.

“I keep telling myself that, and it hasn’t really been very effective, but thank you. Go take a rest, the night will be a long one.”

“The longest,” he smiled softly, then left the office for his bedroom.

\---

Sam woke up when the alarm on his phone chirped, interrupting the sound of whales he was listening to to fall asleep. He yawned, rubbing his face to try to wake up, and clean the sleep from his features. The mattress in this guest room was very comfy and he made a note-to-self to let Dean and Cas know, just to tease them a little. In fact the new bed in their guest room was quite nice too and Sam had probably abused it in the last two weeks, but teasing occasions were always good to take. 

He went to the adjoining bathroom and pondered on the opportunity to take a shower before dismissing it: they were going to run for most of the night, getting clean just before getting dirty didn’t make much sense, even if he could hear the shower in the room next to his, where Jo slept. He took a long look in the mirror, washed his face, combed his bangs and hair with his fingers and got out of the room. 

The program for the night was pretty straight forward and similar to what he was used to at Bobby’s: light dinner, -thanks the gods-, light ceremony, run. He didn’t know if the run was only with the family or if, like some years in the Singer’s pack, it was with the whole pack. He supposed he was about to find out. 

The hall was filled with bleary-eyed people, except for the kids of course, and everybody was kind enough not to talk too loud. Jo arrived shortly after him, her hair still damp, but she seemed to have forgone a new look, being dressed as all the others with jeans and flannel like it was a uniform. 

Sam tried to avoid Gabriel as much as he could during dinner, serving himself with a spinach, pomegranate, and walnut salad that was really good, with a slice of juicy ham, leaving the rest to his brother who obviously wasn’t trying to stay light despite the impending nightly run. 

After dinner, the ceremonies were heartfelt but quick, the anticipation for the run simmering below everybody’s skin. As soon as all the lights in the house were shut off to celebrate the last long night of the year, a rustling of fabric could be heard from all over and, soon, thirteen wolves were yapping in the living room. Sam shook himself to ruffle his fur and took a big breath, letting the scents from his family and friend settle him. His wolf, as usual, towered over the others, and he watched in amusement as Michael’s kids tried to catch one another between his legs. With his wolf senses, the lack of light wasn’t a problem at all, and he could see Dean and Cas sniffing each other on one side, Jo and Charlie playfully fighting, and Bobby and Michael reaching some kind of decision just by looking at each other. 

A few seconds later, all the makeshift pack was reaching the backdoor behind the kitchen and going out, through the field and into the forest. 

Sam loved the traditional runs. He wasn’t a big fan of running in wolf form as Cas could be, he liked his human form very much, but there was something to be said about running in the night, in crisp air, only the moon and stars to lighten the path, the woods around him resounding of the sounds of the paws hitting the ground, the wind in the trees and the rare call of a bird. Sam let all the sensations reach his core, his big wolf leaving enormous paw marks on the snow. 

Soon the pack was engaging in games that were old as the world, hiding, chasing, hunting small prey, howling at the moon. The kids fell asleep not long into the night, exhausted from the day and the nightly run, and one by one all the adults gathered in a small clearing and made a pile of furs around the pups. Sam ended up between Dean and Charlie, with Bobby behind him and Jo’s rear under his muzzle. They spent the next few hours grooming, sniffing, pawing at each other, playing quietly and letting the silence of the longest night settle their wolves. 

When dawn was approaching the pile of multi colored wolves stood from where some started to slumber -not to say any names, Bobby- and returned in silence to the house. In the dark living room, every wolf reached their pile of clothing and shifted again and dressed. A rumble started from Michael's chest, followed by all the others, as Anna lit the first ritual candles just in time for the first lights of the sun. The sound, so animalistic even if it came from human forms, was hypnotic, and the family greeted the light with it until all the candles were lit and the sky started to become blue. When the rumble stopped they all hugged -or, more precisely, patted each other on the back except for the mated couples and Charlie- and went to their rooms to shower and change, despite the fatigue.

\---

Dean dragged his feet up the stairs and into Cas’ room, followed closely by his mate. He was tired as fuck, because while the quick nap he took in the afternoon did a lot of good to his body, the activities he enjoyed instead of sleeping once Cas joined him after his talk with Michael were not. They should have known better, but it seemed like they didn’t. 

He gestured vaguely in the direction of the bathroom, eliciting a snort from Cas who interpreted him clearly and took the first round in the shower. Meanwhile Dean tried to find the strength to undress himself, and instead fell asleep with just his shirt and socks off, and his jeans mid thigh.

When Cas woke him up, -seconds or minutes later, how would he know-, he tried to shove him away without any success.

“Come on, Dean, there’s breakfast waiting,” rumbled the Omega in his ear, stroking his cheek in a manner that was quite annoying when one was trying to sleep.

“I wanna sleep, I don’t care.”

“Hush, babe, eat first, then gifts, then sleep.”

“That doesn’t sound logical at all,” he grumbled, but relented and got up for a shower. If he fell asleep once or twice during his very long shower, nobody would know. 

They dressed in fancier clothes than usual -Cas wore tight black slacks, black Oxfords, a white fitted shirt with a grey vest (Dean needed to keep himself in check so as not to drool at the vision his mate was making), while Dean wore his nicest pair of jeans, a green shirt (that in Cas’ opinion, brought out his eyes), and a clean pair of boots. 

They headed downstairs to the dining room, where everybody was already taking advantage of the magnificent spread Ellen had brought. Seeing the pie in the middle of the table, really too close to Gabriel for comfort, Dean took it and settled it closer to him. Just to be safe.

Almost everyone looked dead on their feet, but they chatted all the same while pumping themselves full of coffee, bacon, and cinnamon rolls. Dean did the eating and drinking, but refrained from the talking, preferring to lean against Cas’ shoulder and inhaling his scent as if it were a drug. And it probably was, seeing as he couldn’t even stay half a day without smelling it.

When breakfast was over, leaving enough leftovers to feed a small army, they all pitched in to clear the table and do the dishes, then retreated to the living room for the gift exchange. 

Dean discovered a fun -not fun- thing about Yule’s gifts as a new couple: it seemed that at some point in time, that he could probably pinpoint to their mating, he and Cas had become one entity and, therefore, had rights to just one gift. That’s how they ended up with a new set of linens for their bed from the Singers (they looked comfy, sure, but what kind of adult crap was that), a pressure cooker from the Novaks (Dean actually appreciated that one), a stash of candy from Gabriel (Cas reassured Dean telling him it was his standard gift for all occasions and yes, they were for when he would come to visit, not to eat themselves), a cd called “Sounds of whales” from Sam (Dean didn’t comment because it was Yule and you were supposed to be thankful) and a free meal at the Roadhouse from Jo, which could have been nice if they ever paid, which they did not. 

In return they gifted alcohol (Bourbon for Bobby, and Scotch for Michael), a simple and cute necklace for Anna, a new apron for Ellen that said “This shit is going to be delicious”, a Barbie for Amiel, an illustrated version of Harry Potter for Samandriel, a bag of sugar for Gabriel (Cas tried to dissuade Dean about that one but he wouldn’t budge, so Cas got him a pair of socks with candy printed on it too), a “World’s okayest brother” shirt and a mythology book for Sam, a gift card for Jo, and a box of sewing accessories for Charlie’s costumes. 

The best gift was from Charlie: a set of five complete decks of Gwent cards. The worst gift was the dick molded scented candle Gabriel gave to Sam.

All in all, it was fun.

“Well, Cassie, what has your big bad Alpha given to you?” asked Gabriel, when everybody was getting ready to retire to their rooms and get some well deserved sleep.

“Nothing, we’re planning a nice road trip for the Spring as a honeymoon,” answered Cas, trying to fit every gift inside the pressure cooker.

“Aw, isn’t that romantic! And where are you going? Can I come with?”

Dean snickered, turning towards the hall and stairs.

“Yeah, sure Gabe, you can come. It’s always nice to have a third wheel.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know, third wheels add extra grip…”

Dean didn’t hear the rest because he was flying to the bed at an unmatched speed. He was dead on his feet and the only thing keeping him alive was the knowledge that only a few stairs separated him from sweet, sweet relief.

He debated in his head the option of sleeping in his clothes, then discarded it because the collar of his shirt didn’t promise to be very comfortable. Cas joined him when he was already half undressed, and he heard him chuckle. 

“Shut up, I need to sleep before I think about the sounds of the whales, for fucks sake.”

Cas openly laughed at that.

“Yeah, that one was pretty weird, I’ll ask later.”

“No you won’t because later you’ll still be in this bed with me. Come on babe, come to sleep and shut off the light.”

“You’re grumpy when you’re tired.”

“You’re always grumpy in the mornings.”

“Yes, but you’re not. I like grumpy you, he’s funny,” replied the Omega, who was enjoying being an ass.

“Fuck you, Cas, come to the fucking bed.”

“No fucking, Alpha, you’re too tired for that.”

That fucking word, in that fucking voice, was really unfair. 

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

“No, I don’t, I love you and I’ll love you more if you stop talking and just go to sleep.”

And so, without even noticing, half asleep already, Dean spilled the words he was still keeping close to his chest, just before embracing sleep like a long time no see good friend.

\---

Castiel stood, dumbfounded in front of the words Dean just mumbled, until soft snores started to fill the silence. He undressed quietly and climbed under the covers, snuggling against the starfished body of his mate. His mind, though, wasn’t letting him rest too quickly.

Love was a big word. Sure they were true mates, and therefore more likely than others to love each other almost at first sight, but Castiel was also a prudent person and, despite the bite on his neck and his complete change of life, still confronted his new status with as much calm and reason as he could. He knew he liked his mate very much, because there was a lot to like: Dean was handsome, and funny, and caring. He was thoughtful and generous, though prone to self-doubt and self-deprecation. He was very smart, loyal and selfless. He loved his family dearly, was often ready to find compromises to avoid confrontations but he was also ready to stand his ground when he felt like it. He was stubborn as a mule. 

They were also, for most aspects, very similar. They had similar tastes in many things, were open to discussion even when they didn’t agree and, all in all, made a good couple. Was that love? Castiel, from his twenty two years of life experience, didn’t really know. Not that it really mattered, obviously, because he didn’t even consider a life without Dean in it anymore, but he still didn’t know if he was able to voice his feelings with those three words or not. Despite his heavy thoughts though, sleep sneaked up on him without him realising it.

He woke up the next day extremely early, but that was to be expected since he had slept almost eighteen hours before. Dean was awake too, scrolling through his phone with his back settled against the headboard.

“Hey babe, sleep well?”

“Hmm,” he replied cleverly. His mind soon caught up with his last thoughts before sleep and he found himself waiting for some kind of awkwardness, but his mate’s eyes were shining in the dim light and a soft smile graced his lips, so Castiel decided to call it a fluke due to exhaustion and not think of it. “Did you?”

“Like a baby. I woke up half an hour ago and I’m starting to get hungry, what do you say about a sneaky breakfast?” Dean smirked, all naked and inviting, and if Castiel’s stomach hadn’t made that sound, he probably would have tried to postpone breakfast a little bit. Unfortunately, his stomach did make that undignified sound and so he got up and dressed, followed by a laughing Dean who probably had smelled his lusting scent and was having fun at his expense.

“Yeah, laugh it up, Alpha,” he muttered, the best come back his sluggish brain could come up with. Not a good one, probably, since Dean just laughed some more.

“I am, babe, I totally am. Let’s put some food in you first, then we’ll see.”

They tried to be silent as they reached the kitchen, seeing as the house was still dark and nobody seemed to be awake yet. Dean made quick work of breakfast, combining leftovers from Yule’s breakfast with some fresh eggs, bacon and tons of coffee. Castiel, for his part, plastered himself against his mate’s back and tried to be as annoying as possible while Dean cooked. It earned him a silent but deadly tickling match that he lost, quite soundly. The win, though, was the make out session that took place right after that, ass pinned in place against the counter by Dean’s hips, his hands skimming against the Alpha’s back while clever fingers trailed in his hair, lips touching, teeth nipping, scents mingling. The sound of the coffee maker stopped them in the middle of it and the awareness that anybody could come in at any moment prevented them from resuming.

They ate quietly next to one another, bodies touching, finally allowed the bit of intimacy that they had had to reign in while with company the last two days. Once the plates were empty and the coffee cups were filled again they cleaned their mess and returned to their room, the house still eerily quiet. 

Castiel settled his cup on his nightstand and stood, for a moment, unsure of whether to get into bed, into the shower or... the decision was made for him when Dean draped himself against his back, hands burrowing under his shirt, brushing against his stomach, slowly skimming down his belly, along his treasure trail. Hot lips were leaving kisses along his neck and shoulders above the shirt, and Castiel removed it swiftly to feel those lips on his skin. Slowly Dean advanced, pushing him towards the bed, and he complied. His hands went to grab Dean’s ass and push it against himself more, and a chuckle answered the gesture. He could already feel his body responding to the touch and the scent of desire that came off his mate, and also to the steadily growing cock that was snuggling against his ass, separated from him by two layers of absolutely useless sweatpants. 

Dean left him for a moment, to take off his shirt, and Castiel turned to face him and catch his face between his hands the moment the offensive item was out of the way. The kiss started slow, unhurried, a renewal of the ones in the kitchen, but quickly became more demanding, deeper, a dance of tongues and teeth and lips, while both pairs of pants were discarded, left on the floor in a messy pile nobody cared about. When the kiss came to a natural end for a trivial reason like breathing, Castiel got up on the bed and displayed himself languidly for his mate on top of the covers. Dean remained standing, watching him with a dark glaze, pupils dilated to the point where the green around them looked more like an afterthought. A hungry smirk graced the Alpha’s lips.

“Go on,” he just said, and Castiel did. His hands roved over his torso, his belly, down to his hip bones, until they found his dick. Slowly, making a show of it, he took himself in hand, moaning at the sensation and at the view of his mate that was doing the same in front of him, still standing, still too far away. Their eyes seemed to waver between their faces and their cocks, both unable to decide which one was the more arousing sight. Castiel stroked himself teasingly, without much pressure or speed, then flexed his legs to reach behind himself and coat his fingers with the slick that was pouring out of him like a breaking dam. When he brought his fingers to his mouth to taste his sweetness the Alpha released a low growl and he could see his fist tighten around his cock. The picture made him answer with a moan and that was what made Dean break. He climbed onto the bed, stalking him like a predator, eyes hungry. He settled between Castiel’s legs on his haunches and reached for his hole with his hand, coating himself in slick and spreading it all around, up his taint, along his cheeks, then up on his dick. When the Omega’s bottom and groin were almost coated in the sweet substance, Dean started to push a finger inside the hole, slowly and shallowly at first then deeper and quicker, until Castiel started to ondulate his hips towards the sensation, hand leaving his cock to grasp at the sheets, head bowing back.

“I didn’t say you should stop, babe, I was enjoying it.” the bastard said, as he pushed a second finger inside his tight opening. Castiel whined a bit but complied, returning to his teasing task, eyes closed and head swimming in all the sensations his body was experiencing. He felt the Alpha humming, and then moving, but it didn’t register until soft, perfect lips were on his, a tongue softly pushing for entrance. His free hand came to grab Dean’s neck, keeping him close, keeping him right where he always should be. As the fingers that were working him open disappeared, he broke the kiss and scowled at his mate, who just smirked again and disentangled himself to prop a pillow under the Omega’s ass and pushed at his knees until he was completely exposed to the lusty gaze of the Alpha. 

When Dean pushed in, slowly -still slowly, everything was slow and lazy and still full of passion- Castiel welcomed him without any effort, as if it was just a matter of coming home. 

Dean moved his arms under Castiel’s knees, pushing them against his chest, keeping him open as he started to thrust, quickly gaining speed and power. Castiel tried to reign in the sounds that were spilling out of him, but probably wasn’t very successful as a symphony of breaths and moans and wails and half uttered words and direction flowed out of his lips. His hands were roaming, unsure of where to stop, -Dean’s face, his neck, his arms, his torso, his hair, his nipples... yes, his nipples-, that elicited a sound from the otherwise silent Alpha, a sound that was followed by thrusts that were sharper, and deeper, and made his eyes roll in his head and his cock spurt between their bellies. Dean released one of his legs to fold himself against Castiel’s body, licking at his mouth, his neck, sniffing at his bite until the Omega could feel the knot passing his rim once, twice, three times before becoming large enough to plug him and keep the release that came right after deep inside of him.

Dean’s body shook a bit in the aftershock as he settled on top of the Omega, then he rolled them both on the side and arranged their legs to find a comfortable position. They kissed then, and then some more, and Castiel could feel against his lips and his skin the words that a less sleepy Dean was not saying, and he tried to say them too. 

They fell asleep again, just in time for the knot to come down, and when they woke up the house was in effervescence for the departure of the guests. They packed their bags quickly and got ready to go home.

  
  



	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gossip, in such a small community, traveled fast. Unsurprisingly, the Roadhouse was the center of its spread, with it being the only restaurant/bar/entertainment within the borders of the town. So, when Jody landed a date with a fancy-dressed, Scottish-accented man, the first to know was Ellen and, after that, all of the Singer family.

Gossip, in such a small community, traveled fast. Unsurprisingly, the Roadhouse was the center of its spread, with it being the only restaurant/bar/entertainment within the borders of the town. So, when Jody landed a date with a fancy-dressed, Scottish-accented man, the first to know was Ellen and, after that, all of the Singer family. When Castiel and Dean heard about it they were having lunch as they did every day, and Jo was spilling the beans conspiratorially to her brother, taking advantage of the fact that the Yule/Christmas period left the Roadhouse a lot less busy than usual.

“So, Jody told Donna, who is livid by the way, but of course Jody can’t see _that_ , and Donna came in to vent to Mom, and I was just cleaning the glasses and didn’t mean to overhear..” Castiel lifted an eyebrow in response and the young Beta’s ears tinged red, ”Ok, well, _of course_ I was trying to hear, whatever, so Donna vents about the fact that Jody seems totally smitten with this guy, that they met online and they’re going to dinner in the city tonight…”

It’s not that Castiel didn’t like gossip, he’s just a man after all, but he found it very hard to care about an almost-blind date between a forty-year-old woman he had met twice and an unknown suitor. Dean, however, seemed very interested and ate up all of Jo’s babbling for what felt like hours to Castiel. When his sister-in-law finally stopped ranting the Omega took a breath, savoring the silence, and turned back to his soup.

“Poor Donna, though,” said Dean, because of course he couldn’t let it go, “pining after your best friend must be awful.”

“The worst thing is that Jody seems so fucking oblivious! I mean, everybody knows except for her!” replied Jo.

That was accurate. Even Castiel, who had been there less than a month, had seen the yearning glances the nice Omega, who ran the bakery, threw in the direction of the sheriff whenever she was in sight. His opinion was that Jody knew all about it alright, she just didn’t want to do anything about it; it was not a very original scenario, either. He kept his opinions to himself, though, because engaging with the Winchester-Singers on that kind of matter only led to long and painful debates he had no will or patience for. 

He finished his soup in silence, while his mate talked around mouthfuls of steak and fries -a wild variation from the usual cheeseburger- and let the siblings examine their compatriot's relationship as they would with some celebrity. When he was finished he nibbled on his bread and pondered the opportunity of ordering a dessert when the sweet, sweet voice of his mother-in-law cracked like a thunderstorm upon their head.

“Joanna-Beth Harvelle, do you think I pay you to gossip with our customers?”

“Technically, mom, they’re not paying, so they’re not customers!” replied the blonde, standing up from the chair she had claimed. The statement was actually true and Castiel, as everybody else, knew it.

“Sure, well, if _you_ want to be paid, go off to clean the kitchen, now!” came the motherly reply, followed by a glare that made Castiel and Dean cower a bit. How Bobby could stand that glare and not hide from it was beyond Castiel’s understanding.

Jo, obviously, complied, even if her lips moved in what seemed to be a mix of colorful words she better hope Ellen wouldn’t hear. 

“You really can’t give a shit about Jody’s date, do you?” asked Dean quietly, a smile in his voice.

“I… I’m happy for her.” Castiel shrugged, making Dean laugh.

“You couldn’t have missed the point harder if you’ve tried.”

Castiel shrugged again, a little smile tugging the side of his mouth. “So, while the sheriff is at her very advertised date, what are _we_ doing tonight?”

“Mmm, I think we should listen to the cd Sam gave us for Yule.” Dean’s smirk was all in the crinkle of his eyes, while he tried to be as serious as possible.

“That sounds like a lot of fun, but I’m pretty sure Missouri will need me for night shift, so...”

Dean laughed then and leaned against Castiel for a peck on the side of his forehead. The Omega leaned a bit into it.

“We’re going to find something to watch on Netflix, how does that sound?”

“You mean we’re watching the Witcher for the third time, don’t you?”

Dean stood, almost in a rush, and started to go towards the exit. He smiled brightly while waving his hand at Castiel first, then at Ellen behind the counter. Castiel was resigned to watching Geralt of Rivia again before his mate even went out the door.

\---

The call came while they were debating, for the third time, on mages. Well, to be perfectly honest, it was Dean explaining to Cas the different types of mages in various types of fantasy stories, but Cas seemed interested. They also had had a long discussion about whether Apollo was a prick or just a very unlucky guy the previous day, so. Anyway, the phone lit up displaying Bobby’s name on the screen. That was unusual. Bobby was the kind of guy who tried to never call past dinner time, probably because he fell asleep in front of his telenovelas.

“Hey, Bobby, what’s up?”

“I need you to come home. Now. We have an unexpected guest.” And then he just hung up.

"Well, that was weird." 

Cas nodded, clearly agreeing.

"Do you want me to come with?"

Dean shook his head, standing up and going for his coat and boots. He didn't even take the time to change from his sweatpants into something more business-like, because the urgency in his Alpha's tone left no space for such petty things. Once dressed he leaned to kiss his mate, inhaling his scent with intent.

"I'll call you if I need, but I hope I'll be home soon, babe. Don't wait up."

"Sure." Cas's tone clearly indicated that he absolutely planned to wait up, but Dean didn't fight him on it. He would have done the same thing.

Ten minutes later Baby stopped in front of the Alpha house. The lights were on in the kitchen but as soon as he stepped inside Ellen’s voice found him: “Downstairs, panic room!” 

He obediently went downstairs.

Bobby’s basement was a hybrid between a garden shed, a garage, an apothecary backroom, and a dungeon. The dungeon part, friendly named “the panic room” was a bunker Bobby had built during a vacation week while he was bored out of his mind. Ellen had insisted on him taking the time to rest and he just had used it to dig a pit half under the house, cover it in concrete and iron sheets, create a roof with a hole and a ventilator, a security door and even furnish it with a cot, a desk and a chair, and a pot for emergencies. Ellen was pissed. Bobby was a genius.

Downstairs Dean was welcomed by the sight of the Sheriff in a fairly uncharacteristic little black dress that hugged her forms nicely and a pair of high heels. Dean was sure it was the first time he saw Jody dressed in anything else than her uniform or _the other_ uniform, the Singer’s uniform, jeans, plaid, and boots. 

“Whoa, Jody, you look stunning.”

Jody rolled her eyes and sighed, mumbling something about how much good it did, then pointed to the closed door of the panic room.

“Bobby’s in there with my date. I’m happy you’re mated, kid, so you’ll never have to use a fucking dating app again in your life.”

“Sounds like a fun evening, sheriff,” he smirked. The glare he received in return pushed him to quickly school his expression. “Ok, so, want to fill me in?”

“Bobby will do it, he wants you inside. I’m here to keep the door and check that the tapes run smoothly for the recording.” She sounded tired and bored, so Dean wisely -if he may say so himself- chose to let her be and went to the door. He unbolted it and stepped in. 

Sitting on the cot was a man in his late forties, slightly balding, with a well-kept dark beard and a very fancy suit, the kind that cost more than Dean’s annual income. He was sprawled on the cot like he owned the place, and Bobby mirrored his posture from the chair in front of him. On the face of the man stood an arrogant smirk and dark eyes that held too much intelligence for Dean’s tastes. The Beta -unless the guy was on blockers he was a beta, and Dean knew no Alpha who voluntarily put themselves on blockers- was dangerous, and Dean knew better than to underestimate him.

“Ah, I was wondering when I would have the pleasure to meet Singer’s second! Dean, isn’t it? Heard a lot about you,” the guy said with an accent that seemed Scottish, but polished enough.

The fucking smirk. Dean breathed slowly, to tamper the quickly rising compulsion to let his right fist meet the man’s face at high speed.

“Can’t say the same, mister...”

“Crowley, attorney. Yes, your Alpha is not doing proper introductions.”

Bobby just grunted, which told Dean his Alpha was trying to restrain himself too. Words to explain what was going on would have been more helpful, though.

“Crowley, then. What’s an attorney doing at... eleven pm in the panic room of a pack Alpha?”

“Well, as I was telling to my gracious host, I’m here to make a deal.”

“A deal.”

Bobby’s grunt.

“Yes, yes, a deal, does any of you uncultured lot know what that is? I offer things, you grant me other things, everybody gets what they want in the end. Ever heard of it?”

Bobby shifted in his chair. Dean felt his fingers tingling.

“Yeah, asshat, we know what a deal is. You going to tell us who’s your tailor or something?”

“Ah, can’t do that, I ate my tailor.” Dean hoped he had heard wrong. “No, see, I come from the fantastic, marvelously ruled Morningstar pack.” That time both Singers wolves growled. 

“Yes, yes, I heard you have a little squabble going on, that’s why I’m here, actually. Dean, I would love to tell you your father said hello, but he doesn’t know I’m here and I certainly wasn’t instructed to meet with you too, so...”

“You talk too much and you say too little.” Ah, so Bobby was still able to talk, awesome.

“That’s been said. Great asset for a lawyer, let me tell you.” Another grunt from the chair. Dean was starting to feel his -already not particularly thick- patience thinning. 

“But yes, back to business. So, I’ve been sent here to get a feeling about your pack. Defenses, military strength, the usual. Seemed logical to approach from the... law side of things, hence the gorgeous Alpha over there,” the Beta indicated the door, “who really should know better than to put real information on a dating app, you never know who’s on the other side, am I right?” Crowley chuckled, then sighed when he saw neither of the other wolves were laughing with him. “You are absolutely no fun. Fine. As I was saying, Mrs. Mills seemed the logical choice and, I must say, we had a wonderful evening at the beginning, but it appears that she didn’t like my honesty,” a clattering sound and a curse could vaguely be heard from outside the room, “and when I told her I needed to make a deal about intel for the Morningstar pack she overreacted, truly, and next thing I know I’m being led here in cuffs. I’m not against cuffs, of course, but I prefer padded ones next time, love.”

“Shut up.” Bobby’s Alpha voice seeped through the monologue and stopped the Beta right in his tracks. He glared at the pack Alpha. Truly a Beta, then. “State your business in less than twenty words, before I decide you’re not worth my time and leave you here to rot.”

“Twenty!” Crowley sputtered as if he was offended. He crossed his arms on his chest and jutted his chin. “Fine. Lucifer is a dick. Our pack is in chaos. I’ll help you take him down if you guarantee me a pair of arrangements.”

“We have no business against Lucifer, that’s all a Novak matter,” Bobby replied, lying as if it was second nature. The old man was, indeed, very good at poker.

“Oh, yes, but see, everyone knows you’re Michael’s guard dog, Bobby, so they’ll come for you first,” Crowley smirked again, smugly.

“Let them come.” The Alpha answered, crossing his arms too. Dean stood still, awkwardly watching the men talk, not knowing where to put himself, let alone what he was supposed to do in this situation.

“You don’t want that, Singer. I’ll tell you why once we’ve discussed my conditions which are, I can assure you, totally fair and completely worth it.”

Both Bobby and Dean rolled their eyes but said nothing. The Beta took it as permission to talk again.

“So, as I said, I’m an attorney. In the last ten years I’ve been specializing in criminal law, being in Morningstar and all that, but I was feeling like branching out. So I think a nice little office right in the middle of your little town would be rather nice, maybe take some commercial law gigs here and there? Just a thought.” His eyes indicated that that was not ‘just a thought’. 

“There’s also the fact that, once Lucifer loses this war and, maybe, if the gods are really cruel, his life, the Morningstar pack will need some… leadership changes. I think we can all agree that it would improve greatly with someone organized, smart, and true to his word at the top. Someone like… me, for example.”

Dean didn’t agree, per se, but he remembered Lucifer and surely a change in leadership in that pack couldn’t hurt. He glanced at Bobby and could practically _feel_ his mind work several miles a minute. Amazingly, Crowley stayed silent for more than a few seconds, staring at Bobby as if he was trying to read his thoughts.

“For the office, I can grant it, once you’ve shown me some credentials and I do a background check.” Dean hadn’t expected _that_. Crowley nodded, the smile on his face no less smug than the previous smirk. “For the pack, it will probably be Michael’s problem. All I can say is I will talk to him.”

“Eh, good enough. You have that on tape, right? Are you a man of your word, Singer?”

\---

Bobby was, in no particular order, tired, annoyed, and pissed. Probably more pissed. He was also about to lie his ass off on record since he had absolutely zero intention to follow through with his end of that “deal”. _All is fair in war and love_ would be his defense.

“I am,” he replied gruffly. He probably would have danced a jive for the Beta if it meant obtaining his intel and going to sleep as soon as possible.

“I hope you do, a wolf without honor is no wolf at all.”

Bobby snorted. The guy coming to sell his Alpha for an office in a pack of less than a hundred wolves was in no position to talk about honor, was he?

“Talk now.”

“No sense of hospitality whatsoever, Singer, can’t you at least offer me a drink first?”

“No.”

Crowley sighed dramatically. “You wound me, Singer. Deeply. I want my office big, and a nice recommendation for a secretary.”

Bobby could feel the frustration coming from Dean in waves but, to be fair, the kid was managing fairly well at keeping his scent as neutral as possible. 

“Sure, I’ll recommend my daughter, it’ll be fun. Now, talk.”

“Uh, is she a pretty little thing?” Bobby growled. Dean did too. Crowley lifted his hands in an apologetic gesture. “Right, right, let’s not start with a harassment lawsuit right away, shall we? Where was I… Ah, yes. Lucifer is making deals and alliances. Campbell is in and I know for a fact that he’s in contact with the Coven. If Katja is still her delightful self, it should be a done deal.”

“Tell us something we don’t know, Crowley.”

“Mmm… Campbell actually came to us. He must have heard about the meeting debacle and thought joining forces would be a good idea. Lucifer plans to bleed him as much as he can, but as far as I know there’s no settled strategy yet. Coven’s been approached by a very, very clever girl. I think they’ll be with us in a few.”

Bobby grunted. They needed to contact Coven too as soon as possible. 

“Where did you find them? Coven. They’ve disappeared from the map for the solstice.”

“Ah! Well, Coven are witches, but not all witches are Coven, you know? Little bit of magic here and there… Sadly, their position wasn’t disclosed to me.”

“What’s Lucifer's strategy?” asked Dean from behind Bobby. The kid was pacing in the panic room, probably to use some of that energy Bobby could feel running just below the surface. 

“Oh, complete and utter extermination. You, he doesn’t care. Michael and the Novaks, they’re going to lose everything.”

 _Not if we can prevent it_ , Bobby thought. He liked Michael enough and, since Dean and Cas’ mating, they were family. Nothing was more important to Bobby than family. 

“Specifics, Crowley. How does he plan to do it?” Dean’s voice was turning to a growl. He probably was tired too.

“That, boys, I don’t know. There are strategy discussions from what I know, but there’s nothing completely planned yet.” Crowley shrugged as if that wasn’t the single most important piece of information they could want. Bobby was done. 

“I’m going to let you go. I don’t want to see you on my grounds until all this is over. Your info was shit, so once we’re done we’ll discuss the office thing again. _Shut up_.” Bobby growled when the Beta, who was turning red enough to presume a very near apoplexy, tried to interrupt. He had heard enough Scottish accent for the night. “I’m going to take you to your car and if any of my wolves see you again, even in the city, I’ll set up a hunt, Crowley, and you’ll learn not to cross me.” The last hunt Singer’s pack had was when the Alpha was still his father, but Crowley didn’t need to know that. It was brutal, and bloody, and Bobby believed much more in public justice than in private one. He also, though, did believe in putting the fear of gods into his enemies. He saw Crowley blanching suddenly and worked hard to hide a satisfied smirk. “Now get out of my house. Jody, open up.”

When the door opened Jody was in Sam’s company. A look, a nod, and Bobby knew everybody was on the same page. He left his sons and his sheriff to deal with the tapes and swept the dust out of his territory. 

\---

“We need to talk to Michael immediately,” Dean said as soon as he came out of the panic room. “Can you prepare the recording in an email, Jody? I’m going to call him now but it’s best if he hears it.”

Jody nodded, but Sam answered: “Already done. I also included the video. Charlie did a good job with it, the camera is very high resolution and-”

“I don’t care, Sam, just do it.” Sam nodded, bitch face right in place. Dean didn’t have the time to care about his brother’s wounded, nerdy feelings right now. The phone rang, and rang, and rang. When the recording message hit, Dean hung up. No use for messages if Michael got the email before it. He tried Gabriel. 

“What the fuck do you want, do you know what time is it? Is this a joke from Cassie to annoy me?”

Ah, at least Gabriel answered. 

“Shut up, Gabe. We have a situation here. Sam is sending everything to Michael via email, but he’s not answering his phone.”

“Yeah, Michael’s a bit preoccupied right now, with his rut and all. Haven’t seen him in two days. Send it to me.”

Dean sighed. Of course, this kind of thing happened at the worst possible times. He redirected Sam on the good address, trying to fill Gabriel in as much as possible. Gabriel just grunted.

“I didn’t peg you for the kind of guy who’s asleep at midnight, Gabe.”

“Fuck you, I spent the last forty-eight hours trying to find Coven. Probably did. Have someone clever you could lend me for a diplomatic mission?”

Dean thought quickly. He needed someone trusted, not too short-tempered, smart as hell. Sam was too young and not entirely at ease with Gabriel. It only left one option.

“I’ll talk to Charlie.”

“Good, Red is a good option, even if it puts a lid on my fantasy about living in a spy romance movie. Listen, talk to you later yeah? I’m going to catch a couple hours of sleep.”

“Sure. Talk to you later Gabe.”

Jody, who looked dead on her feet, left right after the call. Sam went to bed once the panic room was shut down and Dean went home. In the car he called his best friend; he knew the hour wouldn’t be a problem for her.

“Are you fracking insane? No Dot, nothing, just Dean, go to sleep.” Rustle noises, a door creaking. _Oops_. 

“Sorry, Charlie, wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important.”

“I figured, what do you want?”

“I need you to go with Gabriel to the Coven pack and try to turn them in our favor.” He then proceeded to explain the evening to her, for context, while heading home. The light in the living room was still on when he arrived. Of course. He finished his call with Charlie’s agreement and went in. 

Cas was asleep, curled on the couch, a frowny expression on his face. With as much care as he could he picked him up and carried him to bed, letting exhaustion win over worry, putting him to sleep a little later. 

\---

Sometimes Charlie wondered why Dean didn’t just ask for things she could do. Or maybe his techno-deficit was so high he didn’t _know_ the things she could do. As soon as she hung up with her friend Charlie was putting on her clothes because she needed her computer to work. Her computer that was at her home.

“Where are you going?”

“Home. I need to do stuff on my computer.”

“Oh, so Dean calls and you just, what, run? Like a puppy?” The edge in Dorothy’s voice was annoying, sometimes. 

“I’m no puppy, Dot, but I’m extremely good at my job and helping my pack, which I should remind you is also _your_ pack, and they need my expertise right now. So leave the snark for another moment, ok?”

Dorothy snarled. The call had woke her up and nobody liked that, sure, but Charlie felt she was overdoing it a bit. Being in a relationship with another Alpha was so exhausting sometimes. Too much ego, and pride, and fracking aggression to deal with. 

“Don’t you dare snarl at me, Dot.”

“I’ll snarl all the fuck I want, Char. You’re almost always working for the fucking pack lately, we never see each other, and when it’s not the pack it’s the video games, or the fanfiction, or the damn fucking roleplaying! Can’t we spend just one night without any of your bullshit?”

Whoa, that cut deep.

 _“Excuse me?_ I can remember something along the lines of ‘Oh I’m so glad you have so many interests, you’re a very passionate person, I love that’, was _that_ a pile of bullshit?” Charlie could feel her temper rising. Just because she didn’t show it to everyone it didn’t mean she didn’t have one. Just like her knot. 

“I didn’t know you’d spend every minute of every fucking day and night with your hobbies, for fuck’s sake! Normal people don’t do that!”

“Normal never did it for me anyway, _and you knew that_. I come with fandoms attached, Dot.”

“Well then, fuck your fandoms and see if I care!”

Charlie steeled herself. It wasn’t the first relationship of hers that sank for that reason. Being an unapologetic nerd, sometimes, came with more disadvantages than perks. She sighed, then started to gather the stuff she had left at Dorothy's place in the last few months. The other Alpha watched her, arms crossed, leaning against the door of the bedroom. She made no gesture to stop her, so Charlie didn’t. She waited until she was in her car to allow herself to feel the loss, and put off the crying until she arrived home. There wasn’t even time for that. 

Finding the exact location of a pack was easy. Everybody left tracks on the internet, even a pack of old witches that didn’t believe in technology. There was always someone selling something, or receiving packages. Or someone writing in a forum, if she was not lucky enough to find them on social media first. And since she was very, very good at her job (the one she was paid for, and the ones that pay all the extras), it took Charlie exactly two hours to find the Coven pack. Another one to set up her laptop for remote work, and yet another one to switch up the trackers on her family’s phone. What the Singer-Winchester didn’t know couldn’t hurt them, could it? At five am she was in her car, showered, with a bag lightly packed of clean clothes in her trunk, headed towards the Novak pack.

\---

Gabriel hated everyone that morning. 

He hated Michael, co-opted in his room with Anna to ride out biological urges. He hated Dean, the bad news bringer. He hated Cassie, the one who had to find a mate annoying enough to call at fucking midnight. He hated Rachel, who started at seven and therefore left him to fend for himself for breakfast. He hated Charlie, who woke him up at five telling him she was on her way and talking a mile a minute about things he wasn’t equipped to discuss before at least three cups of coffee and a pound of sugar. He hated himself, and his damned loyalty to his brother and his pack. And he hated Lucifer most of all. 

The video sent by Sam the previous night was nothing heart-shattering. Gabriel already knew most of it, as did Bobby. There wasn’t anything useful in Crowley’s blabbering, except for the knowledge that Lucifer had someone close to him who would turn on him without even so much as a threat. Cowards and traitors, Gabriel hated those kinds of people. He could be a prankster, and he knew he had a twisted sense of humor -he liked to make people uncomfortable and had no real boundaries- but he had something those dicks didn’t have: he loved his family, his pack, and his Alpha. And he would do anything for them.

A very, very ugly yellow car stopped in front of the house at seven sharp, releasing a bundle of manic energy high on caffeine and lack of sleep.

“We’re absolutely not riding in that monstrosity, Red,” he muttered, finishing the last of his... whatever number of cups of coffee he was on. Charlie just shrugged and retrieved her stuff from the trunk before slipping inside, heading towards the kitchen. She helped herself to coffee and Gabriel could see her hands trembling slightly, probably for lack of sleep, as indicated by her red eyes. He offered some bread and butter to go with the coffee, and Charlie ate her breakfast quickly, chattering about one thing or another, Gabriel’s brain was still too sluggish to understand. As soon as Rachel arrived and Gabriel relayed the messages meant for Michael, they were off. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, thank you for reading!
> 
> If you're enjoying this story do not hesitate to leave a comment, they're a fanfiction writer fuel and right now I really need some of it xD
> 
> Next week Charlie and Gabriel go on a trip.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I wasn’t screaming,” Gabriel replied, pouting.
> 
> “You totally were.”
> 
> “Was not.”
> 
> “You’re a child.”
> 
> “Right back atcha. So: motel, research. What am I supposed to do, then?”
> 
> “I don’t know, I suppose most motels have porn,” Charlie smirked.
> 
> “I’ll have you know that I’m absolutely picky about my porn, and I won’t just watch whatever’s on tv!” Gabriel replied with an indignant squeak. “But we’ll have the internet, so I guess I’ll be able to work something out.”
> 
> “If you have your headphones on, and you don’t touch yourself while I’m in the same room, it’s okay with me,” she shrugged, already extracting her laptop from the bag at her feet.

Charlie didn’t entirely remember how she got in the black car, or how long they’d been driving. It was a bit fuzzy and she probably dozed off for a while; coffee only got her that far, after all. Strangely enough, Gabriel hadn’t tried to make conversation, and for that she was grateful. When her eyes started seeing again, they were more than half past the journey. 

“Rise and shine, gorgeous! We need a plan.” Ah, there it was, the graceful voice of the Beta. Charlie grumbled, rubbed her eyes a moment, then sighed.

“Yeah. So, we’re going to get there, find a motel, and lay low for one or two days while I finish my research.”

“What?!? And why did we leave so early if you still had a whole day of research, for fuck’s sake?”

Gabriel’s shrill voice was deeply inconvenient for Charlie’s blossoming caffeine-induced headache. 

“Because I needed to leave for a bit and I can actually do more if I’m near my target, Novak, and please don’t scream again.”

“I wasn’t screaming,” Gabriel replied, pouting.

“You totally were.”

“Was not.”

“You’re a child.”

“Right back atcha. So: motel, research. What am I supposed to do, then?”

“I don’t know, I suppose most motels have porn,” Charlie smirked.

“I’ll have you know that I’m absolutely picky about my porn, and I won’t just watch whatever’s on tv!” Gabriel replied with an indignant squeak. “But we’ll have the internet, so I guess I’ll be able to work something out.”

“If you have your headphones on, and you don’t touch yourself while I’m in the same room, it’s okay with me,” she shrugged, already extracting her laptop from the bag at her feet. 

“Well, Red, then what’s the fucking point!” Gabriel answered, throwing his hands in the air exasperated. Charlie shot him an incredulous look that morphed in a glare when the Beta put his hands on the steering wheel again. “Ok, ok. Seriously, though. What do you need to know?”

“I found their location last night, but I need to find our way in. Can’t really barge in and ask the first person we see ‘Hey, so, we know your Alpha is conspiring with Morningstar to take us out and we need to talk to who’s leading the rebellion’, it’d probably wouldn’t be a good idea,” Charlie said, checking to see if everything was good at home on her laptop. Dean, Bobby, Cas, Ellen, and Jo were at work, Sam in class, everybody looked healthy and fine. She resisted the temptation to watch what Dorothy was doing. It wasn’t her concern anymore. It still sent a pang of sadness in the deep of her gut. “So I’ll need to comb through any online presence to find something useful. They’re pretty reserved, but I did find some trails yesterday that I can follow.”

Gabriel nodded and stayed blessedly silent while he drove, as Charlie started to work her magic.

\---

Gabriel truly believed he was going to have a day of doing nothing apart from lounging on a bed and playing Candy Crush while Charlie worked, but he couldn't have been more wrong. As soon as they arrived, Charlie began to set up her... set up, and then Gabriel had been sent on a quest for food that seemed pretty important. When he came back with some Chinese takeout from the only place that sold food for at least two miles, his phone rang. 

First it was Joshua, with urgent concerns about the fucking lawn, as if Gabriel was remotely interested in landscaping. Then Gadreel, to check in with him about the progress on the self-defense courses, which were going well enough, even if teaching a bunch of white collars who probably hadn’t been in a fight since their teenage years was an exhausting task. Then Anna, checking in on him and assuring him that Michael was almost done with his... inconvenience. Then Dean, and then Cassie, and by the time Singer called, the moon was already high in the night sky. The food was reheated in the microwave and Gabriel decided to raid the mini-fridge even if mini-fridges never, absolutely never, held anything worth drinking. 

At one point he started worrying about the fact that Charlie hadn’t lifted her head from her computer, not once. He lowered a bottle of water in front of her eyes. 

“Hey, Red, still with the living?”

“Uh, Wha..? Ah, water, that’s a brilliant, brilliant idea that only proves you are a lot smarter than you look, Gabe!” Charlie replied, grabbing the bottle and drinking it all at once. Gabriel just flipped her the bird. 

“So, what you got?”

“Well, a lot. The Coven pack might not have an official online presence, but I was able to trace at least four different accounts: one is a shop that sells a lot of witchy bullshit like crystals and herbs-” 

“Oh, I love crystals! Think they’ll have candies too?” 

“No. So, the shop is linked to an account on a forum, which is linked to a social media account, and there’s where the magic starts to happen. This account interacts with very few people, all of them from around here. They don’t talk explicitly, of course, but from what I can gather with a bit of extrapolation and interpretation, there’s someone who’s crazy-” Gabriel nods, of course, Katja was short of more than a marble, “and someone who’s rising in rank, so I think I might have found us an access.”

“What if you’re wrong?” 

“We run. Fast.”

“Ah, sure, the classic well thought out, foolproof plan of running fast.” Gabriel nodded, his face a mask of incredulity. Charlie just shrugged.

“Hey, I’m here for the technical support, you’re here to plan the extraction, so plan it. Do we have food?”

Gabriel passed her the last takeout container before he rubbed his hands in his hair. This was going to get real complicated, real fast.

“Can you find out more if you have more time?”

“Probably,” Charlie answered with her mouth full. Was it a Singer thing? “but not much. I can probably access their email with a bit more time, see if some cross-checking can tell us more.”

“You do that. I’m going to make some more calls.” Gabriel needed to keep a lot of people posted on this.

“You’re not the boss of me.” Charlie replied, with a bit of a petulant tone.

“Thank gods,” he added before exiting the room to talk outside.

\---

So the plan was: go to the store, try to subtly extract information, buy crystals. It went to shit almost immediately. 

Apparently neither Charlie or Gabriel knew enough about witchy shit to convince the girl behind the counter that they were just shopping, and they were too clumsy in fishing for information. Well, Charlie vehemently disagreed on that part, she was as smooth as velvet of course, but maybe not enough in this case. 

That was how they found themselves cornered in a very, very smelly corner of the shop -how wolves could live in a place with so many smells was a mystery to Charlie- by two weres, a girl and a guy. Both quite beautiful, designation unknown -even Charlie’s keen nose wasn’t able to scent a thing in that mayhem of smells-. Gabriel was trying to amp up the charm to three thousand, but the twin raised eyebrows clearly indicated he wasn’t successful. Charlie idly wondered if the Beta was _ever_ successful.

“State your fucking business or leave, before I call the pack security,” growled the man. Well, they surely didn’t want _that_.

“Okay, okay, listen, let’s talk, right? I’m Charlie, he’s Gabriel, we’re from the…” 

“For fuck’s sake Red, shut the fuck up!” 

“Singer and Novak pack, respectively,” 

“I can’t believe you, you’re so dumb for such a smart person…” 

“and we know the Morningstar pack has contacted your Alpha for an alliance-” 

“STOP TALKING FOR ODIN’S EYE-” 

“and we’re here to see if it would be possible to revert the situation.”

Gabriel was fuming at her side, probably trying to stop himself from hitting her. 

She saw the two strangers glance at each other, a silent communication passing between their eyes, in a way only few people could achieve. Were they siblings? They looked similar, but that never meant anything, per se. Charlie’s recon, however, announced a pair of twins as one of the targets. A very slight -almost unnoticeable- nod from the girl sealed their fates.

“Come over to the counter, can’t smell a thing in here,” said the guy. Charlie followed him, Gabriel still stomping his feet and whispering curses behind her. As soon as they were out of the range of the smelly candles, the air seemed lighter in Charlie’s lungs, filled with the kind of sweetness no vanilla honey candle could replicate: both their interlocutors were Omegas. Hazel eyes, exceptionally clear on dark skin, bored into hers; clearly this male Omega was made from the same kind of mold as Cas. 

“So, Singer and Novak, right?”

Gabriel huffed, winning an elbow in the ribs for his troubles, while Charlie nodded. Gabriel had a very betrayed look on his face while he rubbed his torso.

“How did you get here?” asked the man. The woman stood a little farther, arms crossed, trying very hard to scowl but with features too soft to really succeed.

“By car,” replied Gabriel, as Charlie answered “I hacked your emails.” The Beta released what was actually a pretty good growl, for a... well, a Beta. 

“I hate you, Bradbury, so fucking much.”

“No you don’t.”

“Yeah I-” 

“You hacked our emails?!” the guy asked incredulously, after a much needed few seconds to absorb the information. Charlie was used to it. People never knew how easy it was to penetrate their lives from a laptop and an internet connection, they always needed a moment to recover when they found out.

“Yes. I’m going on a hunch here, but I suppose you’re Max and Alicia Banes. If I’m right, Alicia, birthdays are really poor passwords.”

Bewildered expressions faced her, eerily similar. So, good hunch. Max and Alicia Banes, twins, twenty years old, part-time employees of the shop. Dead mother, father unknown. Charlie mentally patted herself on the back for a job well done. Alicia was the first to collect herself.

“Thanks for the advice, I’ll change it. Why us, though?”

“Well, very few in your pack have online activity, even less are critical of your leadership. I had very few leads, this seemed the easiest one.” Charlie shrugged. The twins shared a look again.

“Listen, I know my... partner went _a bit strong_ in this, but we really need some help here. Morningstar is a dick and a backstabber, so I really wouldn’t confide in him-” Gabriel started, trying to win some record for the highest count of words uttered in the least amount of time. Half of them were barely recognizable.

“We know. The offer from Morningstar came a few days back and, sadly, the pack voted in favor by a very small majority, basically the ones who are terrified of our Alpha. I don’t know what they promised to Katja, but any wolf in this pack could feel the lie and deception rolling off from his envoy in waves,” interjected Max. Silence stretched for a moment, causing Gabriel to roll on his feet once more. The guy was never not moving. “We can organize a meeting with someone. That’s the best we can do, then you’re on your own.”

Charlie and Gabriel nodded, a feeling of relief dribbling down the spine and unlocking the Alpha shoulders. A meeting was better than nothing at all. 

\---

Gabriel was still seething. Sure, everything went fine in the end, but Charlie’s little stunt, performed in the enemy’s territory, without backup and hours away from one, had been one of the scariest moments in his life. 

Sure, Gabriel was pretty sure he could have taken down the Omegas, he was a motherfucking warrior after all -even if he didn’t look like one and enjoyed the shit out of his opponent’s surprise in those cases-, but it would have ruined all their chances to complete their mission. It didn’t. But it could have.

Once they were back at the motel to wait for their rendez-vous, Gabriel shut himself in the bathroom quite dramatically, and took out his phone. Ignoring all the knocking from the Alpha on the other side of the door, he did his check-ins with Michael -finally almost back in the land of the living-, Bobby, and Dean, who he insulted for at least fifteen minutes for not having informed him that his best friend was a fucking ticking bomb. Dean had the sense to sound at least a bit apologetic. 

It took two hours and an unknown amount of chocolate for Gabriel to calm down. May the gods bless the deep pockets of his pants. Once he felt calm enough to not attempt to choke the Alpha, he came out of the bathroom to find Charlie, once again, deep in concentration in front of her laptop.

“Preparing for your next stunt, Red?”

“Fuck off, Gabriel, it worked,” she replied distractedly. Very maturely, he stuck his tongue out at her. “No, I’m doing reckon for the place of the meeting, so we have at least an escape route, which, normally, would be your job but if you want something done, do it yourself I guess.”

“Charlie, I’m trying so hard not to hit you. Respect that.”

“As if you could hurt me, little Beta.”

Gabriel breathed. Once, twice, three times, veeery slowly. Then he stood behind Charlie and looked at the blueprints of the building the meeting was scheduled at. 

“That’s the entrance. They chose well, because I’m guessing they’re going to come from there,” he indicated another entrance, “which will give them more options to fly if they feel like it, leaving us with just the same path as the one we went in. If their numbers are good, it’s a nice place for a trap. My feeling is we go in wired with live streaming to your people, so we at least have some intel even if we go down. And I’ll also bring my Horn.”

“Your horn? What are you going to do, play the concert for horn and orchestra to them?”

“Ah, a Mozart enthusiast, Charlie, who would have thought? No, dumbass, it’s my gun.”

“Gabe, you can’t bring a firearm to a peaceful negotiation with other wolves,” Charlie tried.

“Watch me. They’ll never know it was there if it goes ok. But I’m not going into a trap without at least some backup.”

“Hey, I’m plenty backup!”

“You’re plenty trouble, Red, and that’s why I need my Horn.”

“That’s a stupid name for a gun,” Charlie muttered.

“You want to tell me you don’t name your computers?”

“No, but Cassandra is a badass name, not like Horn!”

They bickered for a bit, mostly filling time. It took exactly ten minutes for Charlie to come up with a good recording system nicely hidden and less than that to obtain full cooperation from Cas, who was dying of boredom in front of the motel computer anyway.

The meeting was set in the kind of obvious place for a secret meeting: an abandoned building, just outside of town, half decrepit. It could’ve had a sign that said “Secret place for shady businesses”, it would’ve been no less conspicuous. As Gabriel thought, the only entrance available for them was the front one, a large, metal door. Gabriel patted his gun under his jacket to reassure himself, then walked in, shortly followed by a strangely silent Charlie. He guessed the Alpha could feel some tension too. After a short hallway there was another door, already open; the chances it would be closed as soon as they stepped inside were high. Gabriel, as usual, was right. 

As soon as they were inside, the door locked behind them. In a large room with high ceilings, completely bare except for a chair, a familiar looking figure was waiting. Her dress was purple, silky, long enough to cover her feet even from a sitting position. Her red hair shone in the dim light of the room, held up in a complex updo that left some curls down to frame her pale, elegantly painted face. Rowena was sitting with the allure of the queen she wasn’t, but clearly wanted to be.

“Hello, Gabriel.”

“Hi, Rowena, I didn’t think we would move so high in the chain of command tonight, beautiful,” he replied, winking. Hey, the Alpha was a creature that seemed to come out from a fantasy book, there was no way he wasn’t going to try and flirt a bit! A slight smile appeared on her red lips. 

“And you are...?” Rowena gestured in the direction of Charlie, who was... well, she was almost as red as her hair. Gabriel rolled his eyes.

Charlie cleared her throat, then answered. ”Charlie Bradbury, Miss. I’m here on the account of Bobby Singer.”

“Aye, Singer, of course. Well. Straight to business, shall we?” Rowena’s scottish accent was a thing of beauty.

Charlie snorted, Gabriel rolled his eyes, already knowing what was coming. 

“Well straight is not my forte...”

“Yeah, yeah, Red, head in the game. So, it has come to our attention that the Coven has allied themselves with Lucifer. That wasn’t a smart move and you know it, Rowena.”

She nodded slightly. “It wasn’t my decision, but I’m not the Alpha of this pack.” The twinkle in her eye seemed to say ‘yet’ quite loud, but Gabriel didn’t want to jump to conclusions. “That’s a thing I can’t change, so I’m not really sure what the meeting is about.” As the Alpha talked, a second figure came out from behind them, probably where they had been closing the door. She was a cute woman with brown, wavy hair, brown eyes, and a stern face, standing a little to the side, silently keeping an eye on both Rowena and them. 

Charlie interjected, “Well, if you could tell us... something, anything about Lucifer’s plans, that could help.”

“And betray my Alpha? Why would I do that?” the Alpha asked, one perfect eyebrow arched high on her forehead.

Gabriel huffed. “Come on, Roro.” The look on Rowena’s face was terrifying. She was probably not keen on nicknames. “Rowena, you know perfectly well that, after us, he’ll come for you. Lucifer wants power, he wants everything.”

“Do I know that, though? Last time I saw him he was pretty set on taking your pack, not mine.” 

That was... actually true. Gabriel was absolutely sure his brother was going to start with his ex-pack and then expand, but he had no proof except for a hunch and that was not enough for this kind of negotiation. He felt a headache coming.

“And what do you think is going to happen after that? Everybody will go home and be free and happy? Does he look like someone who would do that? Come on, how long have you known him?” he replied, the first hint of frustration in his voice; Charlie’s hand came to squeeze his forearm, just enough to make him shut up.

\---

Charlie really did make an effort not to laugh at Gabriel attempting to use a nickname on Rowena. She caught the eyes of the only unknown attendant and saw she, too, was trying to suppress a smile. She imagined someone as high end as the second-in-command of the Coven pack was not someone addressed as Roro everyday, or ever. The Alpha was gorgeous, clearly. Charlie always had a thing for redheads -probably some better placed narcissism- but Rowena took the cake. She was royal. Focus, Charlie.

The negotiations were not going too well, but she could smell that there was something there. The silent woman was a Beta, like Gabriel, which left the majority of the scents clouding the room belonging to Rowena. The older Alpha was probably very good at masking her scent, but Charlie had a good nose. She could scent some frustration when Rowena talked about the fact that she was not the pack Alpha. She could smell the amusement while she was teasing Gabriel and the responding frustrated, slight scent of burnt sugar coming from the Beta. So, she stepped in.

“Let’s cut the crap, ok?” Charlie heard the whine coming from Gabriel, but ignored it. “There’s two issues, here. One is internal politics in your pack. You obviously want the Alpha’s position and, if what I know about your Alpha is correct, I think every sane person around here wants it too. I don’t think I’m reaching too far in saying that Singer and Novak’s pack would approve your candidacy.”

“Oh, pretty girl, that’s not how we do things here. Alphas are Alpha until they die, there’s no vote.” Her voice was melodious, like a singer’s, and tinged with a tilt that made Charlie think of whiskey and moors.

Charlie shrugged. “It’s what happens in most packs, Rowena, except not all packs resort to homicide to do that.” Another whine from the unimpressed Novak on her side let her know her personal flavor of diplomacy was, once again, not particularly appreciated.

“Those are bold words.”

“Are you going to deny them?” asked Charlie. She could see on the sides of her vision the silent Beta doing some signs with her hands and suddenly understood why the woman had not uttered a word until that moment. She cursed her lack of knowledge on ASL. Rowena was looking at her assistant and a hint of head movement indicated she was agreeing with whatever was being said. 

“I am certainly denying that I would want to kill my Alpha, of course,” Rowena answered with a thick trace of humor in her voice, “but I can’t deny that I think a change in leadership in my pack could be beneficial.”

“Good, let’s start with that. Am I reading it wrong in thinking you might need some... help building a tighter network, far away from prying eyes, to organize... whatever?” Charlie hoped she was going in the right direction, because she had absolutely zero back-up plans.

“That would interest me, yes.”

“I could do that for you.”

“I’m sure you can, but what do you want in exchange?” Rowena smoothed an invisible crinkle on her silky dress. Charlie wondered if it was as smooth to the touch as it looked, and pried herself away from that line of thinking. 

“Well, at best, we would want you to break the alliance with Morningstar. At worst, we can settle for any kind of intel such as when, where, or how they will attack.”

Rowena laughed, her head tilted back and the long expanse of her neck in display, in a gesture that was so confident in her power -no Alpha bared their neck if not to a mate or to someone they thought they could crush with closed eyes- that Charlie felt a bit weak at the knees.

“You’re asking a lot, pretty girl. Let’s rephrase. You’re going to do some computer magic for me and I, in exchange, will try not to let Morningstar kill too many people. And, eventually, lend some intel to you, if I’m really satisfied with your job. How’s that?”

A silence fell on the room. Charlie glanced at Gabriel, who was bouncing on his feet and chomping on something that contained probably the same quantity of sugar as a bottle of corn syrup. His eyes shone, though, and a slight upturn of his lips indicated to Charlie he was pretty ok with the deal. Charlie herself was pretty sure they couldn’t have managed more, except if Bobby and Michael had led the negotiation, but they weren’t there, so. 

“Ok. But at least try to inform us of an attack as soon as you can?”

Rowena laughed again, but it was bitter this time. 

“You don’t know Katja. Nobody in our pack will know anything with sufficient time to make the information really valuable. But yes, I’ll try to inform you. Now, if you want to leave your numbers to Eileen, I’m going to take my leave. I suggest you leave the ground as soon as you’re out of here: your presence has been noticed and I can’t shadow you more than that.”

Charlie took the unlocked phone that was offered by the Beta -Eileen, then- and inserted her number and Gabriel’s, sending herself a text too, because she wasn’t an idiot. Goodbyes were said with some head tilts and, by the time Charlie and Gabriel were back to the re-opened door, the other two wolves had disappeared in the shadows on the other side of the room.

They took Rowena’s advice and got the hell out of dodge as soon as they could. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your kudos, comments, subscriptions! 
> 
> Tell me what you thought of this chapter, I really loved writing these two characters together!
> 
> Next week: the last bit of calm before the tempest.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It had been, without competition, the weirdest month of Dean’s life, and that was considering the month he had his first rut in a motel room with a bag of heat toys, a terrified little brother, and an AWOL father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically smut. If that's not your thing you can check out just the last paragraph of the chapter to have an idea of what's happening plot-wise!

It had been, without competition, the weirdest month of Dean’s life, and that was considering the month he had his first rut in a motel room with a bag of heat toys, a terrified little brother, and an AWOL father. 

There was the fact that, in the eight years he had been Bobby’s son and the year he had been Bobby’s second, never had he seen as much pack activity as in the previous month. He was late on some jobs at the garage because there were impromptu reunions at all hours in Bobby’s office, with Jody or Rufus about security, with Charlie and Ash about surveillance, with Linda about medical care, even with Tracy who, apparently, had a black belt in several martial arts (and well, that was unexpected to Dean, and maybe a little hot too). 

There was Sam’s breakup and the night where Dean and Cas had gone to the city to mess with Brady’s car (Cas’ idea, because his mate could be petty like that and Dean actually loved it).

There was the fact that Dean was just adjusting to using the same bathroom as the guy he really wanted to keep having sex with; he had never been more self-conscious about his farts than in the previous month, and that was mentally draining sometimes too. 

As he hung up from the fourth phone call of the day with Gabriel and Charlie, who were coming back from Coven’s pack with basically nothing, but at least unscathed, he leaned against the back of the couch and closed his eyes, a deep feeling of tiredness edged into his bones. The faint sound of Black Dog was meshing well with the water dripping from Cas’ shower, and Dean let his brain rest in the familiarity of the sounds and smell of his home. Their home. Dinner was ready, baked salmon with roasted vegetables, and the smell coming from the kitchen made him salivate but he couldn’t find the strength to get up and set the table; his body felt lax as if it was trying to melt into the leather of the couch, and the only thing that kept him from falling asleep was the disturbing ping of several texts coming from his phone. He was very tempted to shut it off, but he knew he couldn’t do that. The sound took him from his almost meditative state and forced thoughts into his mind again, plans and fears and lists of things to do.

He was dragged out of his overthinking moment by long fingers running on his scalp and down his torso, scents of a summer thunderstorm surrounding him.

“Hey Cas,” he muttered, a lazy smile tugging at his lips. 

“You look dead on your feet,” Cas said quietly, lips just brushing against his ear. 

“Feel like it, too,” he replied, turning towards those plush lips to kiss them lightly. 

“Come on, off to bed then.”

Dean whined, just for show. “But I’m hungry…”

“You’ll be hungrier tomorrow morning and you’ll have twice the bacon, now off to sleep.” Cas dislodged himself from around Dean’s shoulders and tugged at his hand until Dean stood up and, with the smooth movement of an extra in a zombie movie, started towards the bathroom. He washed his face and teeth, peed, and threw his clothes in the hamper. He could hear noises coming from the kitchen indicating Cas was putting away the dinner and he felt a bit guilty that his mate was forgoing to eat, too. The bed was too inviting, though, with his pillows and quilts and blankets and a soft space in the middle that was just the right size for them. He snuggled under the comforter and sighed as his head found its place on the pillow that smelled like him and Cas, and a bit of sweat and sex, too. He inhaled more deeply and warmth spread down in his belly. 

A few minutes later, when a naked, smooth, toned body snuggled against his own, he couldn’t hide the situation happening between his legs. 

“I thought you would be asleep by now.” Cas' voice had an amused tilt to his rumble that Dean could sense even with his eyes still closed. He hummed and plastered himself more tightly against his mate, legs intertwining, hands roaming between his shoulder blades and his ass. “Come on, Dean, you’re going to fall asleep in the middle of it,” Cas laughed at his insistence. If Dean was honest with himself, it was definitely a possibility, but it was a risk he was willing to take. He slipped his fingers, almost by chance, along the crack of Cas’ ass, and was happy to find a telling wetness which made him smile and hum again. 

“ _Alpha_.”

And, just like that, with a single word, the mood changed. Dean didn’t know if Cas really understood what that term, used by him, did to his hormones, but the cloud of lust that smothered him all of a sudden wasn’t unexpected. What had been a sleepy, sexy cuddle was switching into a challenge his body reacted to with the force of biological imperatives. He opened his eyes to find two glinting sapphires watching him, a slightly raised eyebrow and a smirk tugging at those light pink lips that, suddenly, he wanted to bite. The little shit knew exactly what he was doing, then. The growl that made its way through his throat and his mouth just made the smirk wider.

“Sure you want to play this game, _Omega_?” Dean said right against Cas’ mouth, and the little shit answered with a light “I really think I do,” and then all bets were off. 

\---

Castiel was perfectly aware of what he was doing. As soon as he got into bed and smelled Dean’s arousal his body had reacted, and he didn’t want to dislodge his mate from him when he fell asleep, balls deep inside of him, so. He knew to call Dean by his title did things to his mate, lovely things, and unashamedly took advantage of it. What he wasn’t expecting though was the way the Alpha’s eyes tinged red at his challenge, or the way he found himself pinned to the bed from his wrists, held tightly in a solid grasp, while a smirk that was as scary as it was hot, pulled at Dean’s lips. 

“Hmm, alright. You’re going to be a good Omega and turn around, then.”

_Fuck._

A bit more than one month had passed and Castiel was proud to say he still hadn't done the most Omega thing one could do in bed. It wasn't that he had a problem with being an Omega, no, he had Anna to thank for that, but presenting was… humiliating, that's what it was in his eyes. It was like forgoing agency on his own body and trusting it in the hands of someone else and, well, Castiel wasn't the most trusting person maybe. But this was _Dean_. Dean, who was his mate for life, with whom he had the kind of bond fairy tales were made of. Couldn't he trust Dean enough to turn his back to him? He felt, in a deep, instinctive part of his brain, the thrill at the idea of doing exactly what his biology set him up to do. He didn't like it. He didn't like this part of being an Omega, the pleasure in obeying his Alpha when he had spent a long time fighting that urge to assert himself as an independent person. Still, it was _Dean_. Dean, who was obviously backtracking, a doubtful look on his face. 

"Hey babe, you ok?"

Fuck. 

The scent surrounding him had shifted from pure lust to concern and that wasn’t what he wanted _at all_. So he swiped his fingers through Dean’s hair and tugged towards him, bringing those perfect, bowed lips to his own for a kiss that was sweet for about a second and then turned filthy. He linked his ankles behind Dean’s ass and tried to convey with all his skin, breath, and tongue, his desire. It took a moment, but the Alpha soon lost himself again in the push and pull of their bodies and the nest smelled again as it always should, like passion and want and an undercurrent of sunshine Castiel still was a bit afraid to name. When they leaned back to breathe he looked into the green -only green, not a single speck of red in sight anymore- eyes that were looking at him in return and found immeasurable depths where he could lose everything only to find himself and, disentangling with some effort from his mate, he turned, on his knees with his elbows on the mattress, head hanging between his shoulders, wet ass on display. 

\---

It was, probably, one of the hottest things Dean had ever witnessed. He felt that, somewhere deep in his brain, his inner wolf was parading like a peacock, but on his forefront there was only the sight of Cas’ round ass exposed to him, heavy balls and cock framed by those thick thighs that always made him salivate, a glint of slick around the hole that was pulsing with each heartbeat. He also could see the tense line in Cas’ shoulders, the unrelaxed way he was holding himself, and that was… weird. Cas in bed was playful, and assertive, and fun, but right now, even if he looked like every Alpha wet dream, he seemed closed off and distant. Dean pondered for a moment the opportunity to stop everything, but the scent coming from Cas stayed lusty if a bit embarrassed, and Dean could work with that.

He rested his hands on the curves of Cas’ ass lightly, seeing him tense further, then let them glide along his back, towards his shoulders, along his neck, treading lightly in his dark curls then down again along his back. He knelt closer to Cas, hips flush to his buttocks, cock just resting there, making no move to progress that further, and continued to pet his mate’s back and shoulders and arms and head, waiting for Cas’ breath to go down some, waiting for his muscles to relax. Slowly it was like the Omega was unlocking himself, elbows sinking more in the mattress, neck uncoiling, hips jutting out just a little more. The silence was broken only by the sound of skin sliding and breaths that were becoming heavier, but as the body under him was letting go, Dean could smell the unease lessen, replaced by the smell of sunshine and love that had been rising between them in the last few weeks.

Cas sighed quietly. Taking it as his cue, Dean shifted back a little, leaving open-mouthed kisses along the skin he was still petting, down, down to the dimples at the end of it and then down still, along the curves that melted with the thighs, then up again, until his lips found their mark and he was rewarded by a gush of sweet, honeyed slick and a low moan from his mate. There. Better. 

The wolf in his brain was snarling. Their mate was there, open and ready to be _bred_ , and the stupid Alpha animal that ruled so much of his life couldn’t understand why he wasn’t _taking_ him. His inner wolf was an idiot, and it wasn’t the boss of him. So he happily ignored his inner Alpha -just like he normally did anyway- and started to lap and lick and kiss and press at the slick opening in front of him until he felt it give a little, until he felt its surrender. Only then did he replace his tongue with his finger, and came up to plaster himself on Cas’ back, nosing at his mating bite, enjoying the quiet sounds Cas was muffling into his forearm and the slight tilt of his hips that called for more. 

“Are you better, babe?” he asked quietly, unwilling to ruin the silence but compelled to check, anxious to see if he had understood.

“Yeah. Sorry,” was the muted response. Dean kissed the mating bite again, nibbling just a little. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Do I keep going?” he replied, teasing Cas’ rim with a second finger, and the whine he got as an answer would have been good enough on any other day, but not tonight. “Yes, yes, Dean, for gods’ sa…” and that was better. Slowly, very slowly, he continued to tease and open and swipe his fingers just _like that_ , until Cas was a whimpering mess beneath him and still. 

“Dean, come on, come fucking on, I’m dying here, come on _Alpha_ …”

In one instant, the game was over. He couldn’t refrain his growl, low in his throat, and positioned himself better behind his mate to replace his fingers by his cock, hungrily watching it sink into Cas’ body like a fucking vision.

\---

There was nothing else for Castiel to focus on other than the fantastic, thick, handsome, lovely cock that was slowly filling him. Too fucking slowly. Even if he had opened his eyes, there was only the mattress beneath him. Even if he had breathed deeply, there was nothing for him to scent besides their tangled smells on the sheets. Even if he had unlocked his arms, there was nothing for him to touch except pillows and headboard. And in all that, Dean was so fucking silent. So his mind was latching onto the only sensations he could feel, the hand on his hip and the one petting his back and his hair, and the dick that was taking so much space inside him. Has that cock always felt so big? He didn’t know. He could hear a whine, low and long, and was barely aware of the fact that it was probably coming from him since there was a responding growl that was coming from his Alpha. When Dean started to move -still slow, still too fucking slow- Castiel felt relief and frustration all in one, trying unsuccessfully to cant his hips and move, pinned in place now by two hands on his waist, and it was too slow, and he couldn’t bear it. 

He lifted his head and snarled, “Are you going to fuck me, _Alpha_ , or are you just keeping your knot warm?” And yes, that’s what had gotten him into this situation, so maybe he should’ve thought better before saying that, but he hadn’t, so he was a bit surprised as fingers took hold of his hair and tugged his head back just as Dean quickened the pace, quicker, deeper, harder. Better. 

“You are so fucking mouthy, Cas, I swear…”

“You, ah, love it…” Castiel replied, out of breath for multiple reasons, the weird angle his throat was bent in being one of the major factors, as Dean continued to snap his hips relentlessly.

“Of course I do, I love you,” Dean sounded a bit out of breath too, but the words registered all the same in Castiel’s brain, then did a full circle and came back out of his mouth right as a hand left his side to grip at his cock and yes, he was done for as he choked out an “I love you too” while he was coming all over Dean’s hand and the sheets. He could feel his hole pulse and squeeze around the knot that was still getting bigger until, a handful of thrusts later, it linked them for good as Dean clamped his teeth on the mating mark, sending him in another bout of ecstasy that had nothing to do with his genitals and everything to do with the sense of belonging. 

\---

Dean took care of collapsing a bit on the side, pulling Cas with him so he could avoid the wet spot while they waited for the knot to go down. His hands roamed on every surface of skin that was available to him, while he kissed the sweaty nape in front of him, and shoulders, and behind his mate’s ears. 

“Wanna talk about that? You scared me for a bit there,” he said very quietly, right against Cas’ ear. 

“I’m sorry, Dean, I just... nevermind, I was being an idiot,” Cas said, a faint scent of shame coming out of him that Dean didn’t understand. 

“Cas, you know you can tell me to fuck off if I ask for something you don’t want to give me, right?” Dean was fairly sure he hadn’t used his Alpha voice, so he couldn’t have forced Cas to do anything, but…

“Yeah, yeah, but… Nothing, Dean, having an Omega brain is complicated. Let’s talk about this tomorrow, ok? We’re both fucking tired.”

Dean snorted a bit at Cas’ words, well aware that, whether one was an Omega or an Alpha, brains were always complicated. He settled down on their nest, his Omega plastered against his front, knot still locked inside; he used his feet to retrieve the corner of the comforter and covered both of them, quickly falling asleep at the sound of the deep breaths that lulled him.

The next morning, after a healthy breakfast -he was probably the only one in the world to define it as healthy- he picked up his jacket and phone from the couch where he had left it the night before. There were 14 calls and 5 texts, all from Benny. The last text said “24 hours at most”. He felt as if his blood was frozen in his veins. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading still, and for your comments! They really are important to me and I try to answer them all. 
> 
> We are approaching the thick of the action, so beware of some new tags -violence, minor character death, blood-. This mess is not going to solve itself with pretty words!
> 
> I have a question for you: in the context of this fic (A/B/O with full-shift wolves), would you tag animal violence/cruelty? Do you think I should add some tags? Thank you so much for your input, tagging is hard!
> 
> Next week: everything happens at once.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As soon as he put a foot in Sandover, Michael felt something was wrong. It was something in the air, something like a whisper just too far from his ears. It was in the way his employees were not meeting his eyes, passing him quickly in the halls. It was in the way conversations were shutting down as soon as he came close to them. It was unsettling and, coupled with the remnants of aggression and tiredness from his rut, left him fighting his Alpha to maintain his usually ironclad control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It begins!
> 
> TW: violence, minor character death

Michael clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed Friday morning. Six am was always too damn early. His rut had left him exhausted, hungry and cranky and he had tried very hard not to lash out on Anna just because she was _there_. He drank his coffee, reading through the overwhelming amount of emails he had received in the last few days, both from work and from the pack. Gabriel had informed him by phone of the big waste of time that had been the journey to Coven’s pack -including a too-long commentary on how crazy Charlie was, as if he had ground for his complaints-, but the rest of the matters still came by email. By the time he finished his breakfast, he wasn’t even done with the first ten emails. 

As soon as he put a foot in Sandover, Michael felt something was _wrong_. It was something in the air, something like a whisper just too far from his ears. It was in the way his employees were not meeting his eyes, passing him quickly in the halls. It was in the way conversations were shutting down as soon as he came close to them. It was unsettling and, coupled with the remnants of aggression and tiredness from his rut, left him fighting his Alpha to maintain his usually ironclad control. 

His office was his favorite room in the building, the place where he could find his calm in the day-to-day storm. It was big, and on the last floor with a nice view of the woods and the little town just a few miles down the road. When he inherited the position from his father ten years prior, he had made some arrangements, meaning he had torn apart the place and rebuilt it from nothing: the carpet was gone in favor of wood flooring, the heavy, grey curtains were replaced with flowy, cream-colored ones, and the massive oak desk... actually, that had been restored to its former glory and sat, like the fine piece of craftsmanship that it was, just a little bit on the left. The rest of the furniture consisted of high libraries made of oak, covered in files, books, and trinkets. The safe was hidden behind a big poster of The Dark Side of the Moon -signed by Roger Moore, a gift from Chuck when Michael still had no idea that Pink Floyd would become his favorite band ever-. He kept his desk extremely tidy and minimalistic, and the fact that it was covered in files, reports, and envelopes made him sigh. His day was not going any better. 

He barely had the time to sit in his chair when his secretary came barging in with an alarmed expression.

“Hello Sir, I’m sorry, but Miss Wilkinson wasn’t listening when I told her you weren’t ready to receive her…” was all she could say before Raphaelle came in, exuding an air of natural command that he always admired in his partner and close friend. 

Raphaelle had been, for years, Chuck’s secretary before being promoted to manager in tech, then in HR, then became head of HR. She was a strong Alpha, opinionated and loyal and a lot of Michael's success at the head of Sandover was due to her talent in managing people and finding their best qualities and worst traits. In the company hierarchy, she wasn’t the highest on the ladder but Michael had always preferred her advice over any else. If pressed to find a flaw, Michael could only think about the fact that she had left the Novak pack for Heavenson at the moment of its creation. In Michael’s eyes, it wasn’t that big of a flaw. 

Michael waved his secretary away with a smile that was a bit more forced than usual and, once the door clicked, stood to greet his friend. His smile died on his lips as soon as his still sleepy brain caught up with the scent of panic coming from Raphaelle, coupled with the thunderous expression on her face. Her eyes were dark not only in color and her plush lips, usually covered by a nice shade of red, were bare and tight. 

“Michael, we need to talk.”

That wasn’t promising _at all_. 

\---

Bobby was, despite his appearance and general state of his office, a very organized person. It was the only reason why, on that crisp Friday morning at the end of December, everything in his pack was running as smoothly as a pack could run with a war looming above its metaphorical head. 

The call from Dean announcing twenty-four hours at most before the attack from Campbell didn’t come as a surprise but more like the signal he expected since the end of the pack meeting more than a month ago. By mid-morning the shop was bursting with people and activity: Ash and Charlie were set in the restroom with an amount of technology the garage had never seen, Linda and Missouri were discussing the final details on how to turn the Motel into a war hospital, Ellen -who had closed the Roadhouse- was barging in with enough food to feed an army. Dean was going back and forth from the Singer’s house to collect weapons, while Cas and Jo were setting the panic room for the children and the elders. Everybody had a role to play and they were playing it perfectly, despite the scent of fear and panic that kept everyone on edge. 

The phone lines had gone silent by something shy of nine in the morning, leaving them just enough time for Sam to send every member able in a fight a message telling them to regroup at the garage. Dean had been unable to contact Benny again and not even Charlie and Ash’s magic was forcing the internet to work. They were cut off from the world except for the internal, totally illegal, and probably dubiously moral line of comms that the tech squad had installed to keep the pack’s institution together. Bobby had left everything to them, unable to understand a word of what was being said at the time, but now Charlie had access from her computer to Jody’s desktop, the video surveillance from the streets and the panic room, and the GPS position of all of Bobby’s family members, which was a bit sweet and a bit creepy; Bobby couldn’t decide which. 

Holed up in his office, Bobby reviewed his numbers. He had approximately thirty wolves ready to fight, which he hoped was good enough. Most of his wolves had some experience in fighting, whether in human or wolf form, and that was good. The kids and the elders would be safe in the panic room, and the medical supplies were at the ready. He tried, one last time, to call the Novaks, without success. 

\---

Whoever was pounding at his door at some inconsiderate hour in the morning was going to meet Gabriel’s wrath. No one in this household had any respect for the sacred activity of sleeping, especially after that journey to Hell that had been the Coven’s fiasco. 

“Gabe, I swear to Frigga if you don’t open this door this moment I will let Amiel come close to your clothes with scissors!!”

“Hold your horses, Anna, I’m coming!” he grunted in reply, then went to open the door, completely naked except for his underwear and unbothered by it. It surely wasn’t the first or last time that his sister-in-law would be getting an eyeful. Perks of living in one home. 

Anna didn’t even roll her eyes at the sight and that, if Gabriel was being observant, was a creepy sign. 

“Gabe, there’s no phone, no internet, no light in the house. It all went down five minutes ago.”

Yeah, that didn’t sound good _at all_. Gabriel went to check his phone, which was of course without any signal but had one missed call and a text from an unknown number. It said “Take your family and run.” and Gabriel had absolutely no doubt about where, or best to say whom, it came from.

“Anna, listen to me closely. Take some clothes for you and the kids, take the car and run. There’s a motel sixty miles from here going east, the Elysian fields. You barricade in there and wait for me or Michael to either come and get you or to call you. If in twenty-four hours you have no news from us, go to Bobby.”

“They’re coming?” asked Anna, an unfamiliar quivering in her voice.

“Yeah, the prodigal son returns,” Gabriel replied grimly, the usual jab not funny anymore. 

He dressed quickly, not bothering with a shower, and drank his coffee while helping with the bag for the kids. Samandriel was helping too, and had clearly understood that something big was going on; he was serious, uninterested by all his toys, and only asked his mother if he could take a book with him. Amiel, on the other side, kept trying to cram ten barbies and two dolls in her bag and crying when they didn’t fit. Anna was barely holding it together, but she worked quickly and efficiently, and Gabriel watched them leaving less than half an hour after his rude wake-up call. He sighed with relief. His role was to take care of his pack now, but he couldn’t help to feel like it was already half done, with Michael safely at work, Cas under Bobby’s watch, and Anna and the kids on the run. He finished his coffee and tried to come up with a plan. Any plan. 

\---

Michael was having trouble keeping his Alpha in check. His office reeked of anger, rage even, and distress. The folders Raphaelle had brought in were scattered on the desk, pages and pages of proofs that made his mind reel and his temper flare. Michael was not a very impulsive man, and he usually had a good grip on himself, but everything he had heard in the last hour was seriously pushing him to the edge.

“That bitch is _dead_.”

Raphaelle didn’t even try to calm him down, knowing there was no point. Gritting his teeth Michael took one of the reports once again, glancing at it without even seeing it. He already had studied all of them in detail, the evidence that his own vice president was actively trying to cast him out from his own company. Letters to shareholders to negotiate an aggressive acquisition, emails between Naomi and Lucifer, internal calls between Bartholomew and his secretary, the betrayal ran deep and cut deeper still. How all of this never came to his attention, how he could let it slide for almost a month, was something Michael could never forgive himself for. Had it not been for Raphaelle and one gossipy secretary on her floor, Michael would have found himself with nothing by the end of the year. Worse, by the end of the day. He crumbled the sheets of paper, trying to find an outlet for the violence he could feel in all his muscles.

“They didn’t even try with you, Raph?” he gritted, his Alpha voice seeping through without his conscious will. The Alpha in front of him didn’t even flinch.

“They know there’s no point, and Naomi is too afraid of saving her own ass to try.”

Michael nodded. Naomi was a paranoid bitch, and she had been convinced since day one that Raphaelle wanted her place as pack Alpha. She could have had it, actually, but she didn’t want it. She was in Heavenson only because her mate was in it but she’d always been loyal to Michael. Michael, today, was grateful to all the gods for that. 

Trying to breathe steadily, he took his phone and tried to call Anna, but the line was dead. Same thing with Gabriel and Castiel. A howl tore his throat. Ten minutes later, when he was calm enough to not ruin his clothes by shifting in them, Michael and Raphaelle exited his office like a thunderstorm, making even the other Alphas cower before their power and rage, and went to find the traitor.

\---

It was around midday when something moved on Charlie’s screen. She didn’t realize at first, busy checking all the security cameras of the pack, but when she enlarged the view on the forest one there they were: wolves, foreign ones, coming out from the forest that surrounded part of Singer’s pack. She whistled twice, which brought Bobby and Dean behind her chair, and then a third time, loudly, to bring everyone to silence. Not to brag or anything, but she was assuredly the best whistler of the pack. 

“Shift. We’re going to the forest,” was all Bobby had to say. Thirty people quickly got naked, not bothering themselves with unnecessary modesty, and in less than three minutes from the first sighting, thirty wolves were running through the streets in the direction of their invaders. 

Charlie’s red Alpha was running ahead, with the massive forms of the Winchester brothers, Bobby, and the slightly smaller black wolf that was Cas. Soon, in front of them, a huge number of wolves finally appeared, more than what they had. Bobby had taken it into account, of course, but Charlie didn’t think there would be almost two times their numbers. Despite the preparations, the strategy, and the utter rage upon seeing her pack attacked, Charlie couldn’t avoid the wave of fear that coursed through her. 

\---

There was a fog running through the streets. Gabriel could see it from his window, dense, white, and completely unnatural. His first instinct was to barricade himself inside, but his duty was stronger than that and, a mask on his face that he hoped against all odds would be enough and a backpack with the essentials, he got out of the house and ran down the driveway, towards the fog. As soon as he was near he could feel it tugging at his conscience, drawing him to sleep, to just let go. He resisted, backtracking again towards the house. From the hill where Novak’s manor stood, he had a view of his pack’s valley. The fog was everywhere and, if his feelings were to be believed, all his pack members were unnaturally asleep. He hoped they were, at least, because that would have made their utter defeat bloodless at least. A lump set itself in his throat. He knew, deep inside himself, there was nothing to be done. As he retreated to his car two figures appeared from the fog, running to the house, two figures he knew.

"What the fuck are you still doing here, dumbass?" was the aggressive whisper Max threw at him as soon as he and Alicia were close enough.

"I wasn't leaving my pack alone, dickhead," he replied, seething. 

"Lucifer doesn't want any of them dead except for you and your family, idiot, you should run. We're trying something here, we'll contact you as soon as possible," added Alicia, shooing him to his car.

"And what, I should just trust you?" 

"Well, if you care for your life yeah, you really should," Max said, rolling his eyes, "we came just to check if you had left as we told you to. Run, Beta, run!"

"Fuck you," replied Gabriel, his mind going miles a minute. He knew they were right. He knew, if he wanted to have any chance to regain his pack, he should live. At the same time the idea of leaving his home, his people, was unbearable. Torn didn't even begin to cover the feeling. As soon as he could feel other people through the fog, though, the logical conclusion was clear; he jumped in his car and fled towards the fog, uncaring of anyone who could be in his way. If his eyes stung and his lips quivered there was nobody to see it.

\---

There was a reunion in Naomi's office, of course, there was. A bunch of stuffy, dumb actionists that in their life had done nothing for his company except reaping their benefits. Michael hated them with a passion since forever, but today he felt like reaping _them_. As soon as he and Raphaelle entered the space ten pairs of eyes turned to them, widening, and the scent of fear spiked so quickly it made his mind fuzzy and his Alpha preen in the back of his mind. The only person with a calm demeanor, unluckily, was Naomi.

“All of you, fuckers, out,” he said, his Alpha voice seeping through while he glared at the bunch of terrified and weak Alphas. His voice didn’t affect them that much but, apparently, his looks and his glare were enough; they scurried away like a bunch of scared little boys under the threat of a belting. 

Naomi remained seated, hands relaxed on her legs, sporting a sly smile that made Michael”s blood boil anew. 

“You’re too late, Michael,” she said, leaning on to shuffle some papers on her desk. Michael took a calming breath and started to take off his tie.

“Hmm, for what?” he replied, not taking his eyes off of her. He could hear Raphaelle, behind him, closing the door and locking it. He started on his shirt buttons, while Naomi still didn’t look at him, preoccupied with shit on her workspace.

“Well, you probably don’t know yet, but Lucifer has your pack, all of it. Gone in minutes. You can try and stop me here, Novak, but you have lost.”

Michael seethed, but he couldn’t do anything about his pack at the moment. What he could and was going to do was remove his shirt and unlace his pants quickly. The second the buckle of his belt touched the ground with a metallic sound Naomi looked up, with a very satisfying terrified expression on her normally very constructed face.

“What? No! Security!!” she called, uselessly. Michael could feel a snarl disfigure his face for a moment, right before his wolf came out. His wolf form was huge, a pale grey Alpha that towered above the edge of the desk. He barked once at his opponent, but the coward was paralyzed by fear and didn’t even move. A glance to Raphaelle, who made a gesture in Naomi’s direction as if to say “go ahead”, and the wolf pounced. It was just a jump. In less than a breath’s time, Michael was closing his fangs around Naomi’s neck and clamping them. The smell and taste of blood invaded his senses and, while a part of him was disgusted by it, somewhere in his brain his Alpha rejoiced for the death of his rival. He released the body only when he heard the cervical spine crack. It was a pitiful death, he thought, unfitting of the rage he could feel still deep inside. 

He shifted again and used some tissues from Naomi’s desk to vaguely clean his mouth and neck, then redressed himself. Raphaelle looked completely unfazed by the scene, and she probably was. 

Once he had knotted his tie around his blood-stained collar she opened the door and they strode out. They had a lot of work to do. 

\---

The fight erupted brutally. Dean was in the middle of it as soon as it started, attacked by enemies on all sides. He snarled fiercely, baring his fangs, just before letting his heavy paw fall on the muzzle of one of the Campbells. In a matter of seconds, it was utter chaos wherever his gaze turned; in the midst of furs and fangs and growls Dean quickly lost sight of his family, even if their scent hung heavily around him, mixed with the others’ and, quickly, the sick and coppery scent of blood. 

A howl on his left distracted him for a moment and, following it, there was a strange movement in the brawl: a dozen of Campbell’s wolves turned around and, seemingly without any hesitation, attacked their former pack. Dean was quickly brought back from distraction by a bite to his ear, which hurt like a motherfucker, and resumed his attack. The change in numbers made itself noticeable almost immediately, reducing the numbers of the fighters to one-on-one combat, which was much more manageable. Dean batted his attacker away with his paw, claws ripping fur and skin under that. As soon as the other wolf relented, he turned, easily finding a blur of black fur at his right, fighting like a devil against two bigger animals. 

Cas was relentless, using his size to outpace his adversaries and attack them from behind with powerful clamps of his jaw around their hindlegs. Dean ran in his direction, ready to help, when a snarl and a heavy body hit him from the side and sent him rolling on the ground. When he stood again he was facing who was, clearly, the pack Alpha. Christian. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your lovely comments, they are the fuel I need to keep writing this story. I hope you're enjoying it this far!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blood. It was the only thing that filled Dean’s senses, blood. In his nose, on his teeth, printed behind his eyelids.

Castiel managed to avoid, once again, the maw of his opponent with a quick turn on himself. Allowing himself a brief moment of distraction, he looked for Dean in the mess of wolves spread in the meadow, finding him running in Castiel's direction. It was a second before a big wolf hit Dean on the side, sending him rolling on the ground, a few paces from Castiel. The Alpha snarled and, from the way the other wolves stood back from him, Castiel easily recognized him as Christian, the Campbell's Alpha.

Everything quieted then, everyone's attention on the fight between the two Alphas. Castiel searched for the rest of his family: Bobby was keeping a Campbell on the ground with his paw and growling to three other wolves who looked unsure whether to attack him or not. Sam towered above everyone and was standing above an unmoving figure, a snarl on his muzzle. Charlie was a ball of red fur running from one side of the meadow to the other, exploiting her speed and size to bite into legs randomly. Ellen and Jo were back to back, surveying the calming battle. 

Dean and Christian were circling each other, both snarling at the other, fangs on display. Dean already looked a bit battered, his fur matted around his flanks, while Christian seemed fresh out of a nap. Like the coward he was, he had waited for the fight to already be in progress before making his appearance. Castiel growled: cowardice was not a good trait in an Alpha -in anyone-, but even less in a pack leader. It made him despise Christian even more. 

Dean was, of course, the first to attack with a jump. From there it was a mix of fangs, paws, legs, and growls. From where he was Castiel couldn’t see everything very well, but advancing towards the action seemed a stupid move: the combat was guarded from all parts by unknown wolves who looked ready to help their wimp of a leader at the first sign of defeat. While Castiel had the utmost faith in Dean’s possibilities against Christian alone, he thought his chances were not so good if the ten wolves around started to get involved in the fight; he needed to distract the guards.

\---

Bobby didn’t like the way the Campbell pack was _waiting_. The fight was stalling, and Bobby could see his pack disoriented by the inaction of their adversaries, looking at each other, unsure of what to do. When Dean finally attacked Christian, Bobby expected to see the brawl start again, but it didn’t; it was like time was suspended, waiting for Christian or Dean to win before resuming. Then, in the center of the throng of wolves, a black bolt of fur started to run in every direction, attracting a lot of attention on himself: Castiel must have been as bothered by the lack of action as he was, or something like that, and he was wreaking havoc amid the Campbell pack, -soon joined by Charlie, Sam, and other wolves- leaving Dean to his fight for dominance. 

The fight was hard. Bobby wasn’t in his prime anymore: even in wolf form he could feel the hindrance of his bad knee, and the last time he was in a battle with more than one wolf was decades ago; nonetheless, the Campbell’s wolves were a lot less competent, attacking wildly without any form and without caring about guarding themselves. Bobby didn’t attack to kill, but didn’t pull his punches either: those idjits were attacking his pack, his family, and didn't deserve any pity. 

The meadow was full of sounds, growls, and snarls, maws shutting around nothing, bodies falling on the ground, yelps of pain. The Singer Alpha was occupied with two opponents, kids by the look of it, when a broken howl filled the air with a low timber that reflected Castiel's human voice. Bobby could feel his heart skip a beat and, with his attention diverted to the left, didn’t see the wolf on his right jumping to bite him on the flank. He groaned and freed himself, running towards his son-in-law without looking back, pushing between the mass of bodies. Castiel was on the ground, on his side, a red puddle growing under him. Charlie and Sam were standing almost on him, snarling at the wolves that tried to come closer. A little to the left from there Dean was the picture of wrath, a blur of rage attacking a retreating Christian without any restraint. Bobby bent to lick at Castiel’s muzzle the exact moment when Dean closed his fangs around Christian’s throat without mercy.

\---

Blood. It was the only thing that filled Dean’s senses, blood. In his nose, on his teeth, printed behind his eyelids. His blood, Christian’s blood and, worse of all, Cas’ blood. It was the vision of his mate’s body on the ground, the smell of his wound overwhelming, that guided his last attack and prevented Dean from letting go even when the body between his fangs stopped fighting, stopped breathing, stopped living. Time stopped for a while and there was only blood, and pain, and death. 

It started again when Bobby released a howl, long and commanding, sat near Cas’ head. One after the other, all of the Campbell wolves stopped, then bent their heads in submission. Only then Dean came back to himself enough to let go of his cousin’s body and ran towards Cas, whining loudly. His family made space around Cas for him, enough for Dean to see his ribs moving. He breathed too, as if his lungs finally could let air in now that he knew his mate was alive. At the edge of his conscience, he was vaguely aware of people shifting around him while he remained in wolf form, licking at Cas’ muzzle, whining low in his throat, rubbing himself all over his unconscious mate. Naked people were milling around, screams and growls, and Alphas posturing everywhere, but Dean didn't see any of it: his vision was tunneled to Cas' body, the slight movement of his flank, the smell of his blood on the ground, the softness of his fur, the scent of home. 

\---

Sam glanced at Dean, who was nuzzling his mate's body, right before shifting as Bobby had done seconds before. In the next minute, except for Dean and Cas, all the wolves were humans again, eighty naked people in a field, some in better conditions than others but none of them dead except for Christian. Linda and Kevin were running through, immediately going towards Cas, while Sam followed Bobby in the direction of Christian's body. 

Sam was tired, worried, and exhilarated. Adrenaline was still running high in his system, burning through all his walls of carefully constructed civility, and he snarled without thinking twice at the throng of Campbells reunited around their Alpha's corpse. The wolf was big and unmoving, fixed forever with a terrified expression on his face. Sam felt a pang of regret, of misplaced guilt, and shook it away: regret would bring him nowhere and Christian had chosen his fate the day he chose to attack the Singer's pack for his stupid paranoia about Dean. Bobby was staring down at a crying Beta who was stroking Christian's fur. 

"Gwen Campbell, I will wait for you and the higher ranks of your pack in two hours, dressed, at my home. If you try anything, we will _crush_ you. You can tend to your injured."

Bobby's Alpha voice echoed in the plain meadow, the dominance in it unavoidable even for the Alphas of the other pack. At the edge of his vision, Sam saw a burly man coming towards them and bending his head to Bobby in a sign of respect. Bobby nodded, too. 

"We'll get you clothes if you need them," said Bobby, and Sam understood the guy was probably one of those who turned against their pack to even the numbers. Probably Benny, seeing as Bobby recognized him.

"Thank you, Alpha," Benny replied. Behind him were a dozen other men and women, and they all looked petrified. Sam tried to smile gently at them: they were the only reason his pack hadn't been crushed in the fight, on the sheer force of superior numbers.

The rest of the afternoon went in a daze. There were injured to tend to, luckily not many, and with shallow bites and cuts that would heal through the night. The ex-Campbells were dressed, and fed, and were waiting for the communications to be restored so they could tell their loved ones to run from their pack ground. Sam took their names and accommodated them in the motel for the time being, to the delight of Missouri who coddled them immediately; her stern warmth and optimism the only shield against their despair and fear. Charlie and Ash resumed their tech duties as soon as their panties were on (and that really wasn't a thing Sam had ever wanted to know about Ash, ever) and they were still working on reactivating the phone lines, seeing as no physical damage had been done to them. The kids and elders were let out from the panic room and life seemed to resume as normal, except for the unmoving wolf body in Dean's old bed and the absence of Dean himself at the side of his Alpha. Instead of the pack’s second, Sam, Ellen, Rufus, and Jody were dealing with the first part of the aftermath. 

Gwen was a Beta, but she was the only one Bobby agreed to talk to. When one of the Alphas that were with her tried to display his dominance over her and Bobby, Sam's stepfather just growled, low in his throat, threatening, and Gwen stood her ground. The Alpha relented, but it was clear to Sam that it was just a reprieve before the Alphas of the pack tried to crush the little Beta in private. He couldn't find in himself to care.

"Gwen Campbell, your pack attacked mine and lost. Your Alpha is dead. You will now retreat to your grounds and never put a foot on my territory, ever again. Any Campbell on Singer's pack will be a reason for a hunt. You will not, in any way, harm the families of those who, tired of your Alpha’s behavior, decided to turn on you today. If we were to know you allowed even a single hair to be pulled from their head, we will end you. You will accept my conditions as the mercy you know it is."

Bobby's gruff voice brooked no argument, so there wasn't one. Gwen merely nodded, as did the four guys behind her, even if they did it with even less grace than her. Sam didn't give a shit about them anyway, all of his attention was pulled to the door on the first floor, his anxiety rising despite Linda's reassurances. He needed something to do.

\---

Castiel regained consciousness slowly. The first thing he was aware of was the fact that he was lying on something soft. Then were the scent of Dean, and the hand stroking his head and neck. After that came the sounds, voices a little farther, a humming tone right next to his ear. Finally came the pain, sadly, that made him scrunch his snout and whine softly.

"Shh babe, you're ok. It's ok. You're already healing, Linda gave you something for the pain and antibiotics but the wound was already closing up, you lost so much blood, gods, Cas, I was so fucking scared and then I didn’t think and I killed him, Cas, I killed him and I can’t even regret it and what does that make me, Cas, that I’m happy that I killed him without even thinking about it…”

Castiel whined again, softly, trying to interrupt the flow of self-recrimination coming from his mate. He wanted to curl up against Dean, whisper reassurances in his ear, tell him he was proud of him, that he had nothing to regret, that it wasn’t his fault if the coward decided to attack his pack, that he only did his job as an Alpha. Sadly Castiel was still in wolf form and knew better than change now, while his body was entirely focusing on healing. Weres had greater healing capacities, their flesh knitting itself together quickly, but it was still wise to not jostle the process by shifting in the middle of it. So Castiel just pushed his muzzle against the hand that was still petting him, making low and calming noises, trying to push reassurance in his scent. After a moment he could hear Dean’s breath calm down, his scent losing the edge of panic, and he sighed. 

“I’ve never been this scared my whole life, babe, but you’re ok, you’ll be ok, we’ll be ok,” Dean repeated as if he was reassuring himself more than he was reassuring Castiel. 

There was a knock on the door, the faint scent of Sam behind it. 

“Come in, Sam.”

“Hey Dean. How is he?” Sam asked, standing a bit awkwardly at the entrance of Dean’s old room, his body too big for the door frame.

“He’ll be ok. He should be able to shift back tomorrow morning, then we’ll know more about what state he’s in, but he’s awake now so…” Dean shrugged, his hand never stopping its movements in Castiel’s fur. 

“Good, good. Gwen and the other Campbells have been banished from here and they’re on their way. Bobby is so fucking scary sometimes…” Sam laughed without humor and Castiel could see the faint shape of a smile on Dean’s lips. “Benny’s at the motel and waiting for his mate, as are the others who turned against their packs. Bobby is discussing what to do with them with Jody and Rufus-”

“We need to assure them the rights to the pack if they want them,” interjected Dean, and Sam nodded.

“Yeah, it’s going in that direction anyway. No major injuries on our side, well, except for Cas,” Castiel saw his mate rolling his eyes and huffed in response, “and Charlie and Ash are working on the coms. Did you know that Ash wears panties?”

A shudder went down Castiel’s spine at the image this information provided, and if the stutter of Dean’s hand was any indication, down his mate’s back too.

“Well, _thank you_ , Sam, that’s something I really didn’t need to know,” Dean growled, and Sam -the little shit- smiled brightly.

“I couldn’t live with the knowledge without sharing it, Dean,” Sam answered, and Dean passed his free hand on his face with an exasperated expression. Castiel whined a little and pushed against Dean’s hand more forcefully, but his movement was stopped by the sharp pain that coursed through his flank. He cursed -internally, seeing that he couldn’t talk and even making sounds was painful- and relaxed again on the bed with Dean checking on him and berating him for moving. He let his consciousness go towards the pull of sleep and closed his eyes, surrounded by the scent of home. 

\---

Charlie was _pissed_. Her knee hurt, she was hungry and severely lacking caffeine, and that _motherfucking internet_ still wasn’t fucking working. She had escaped the brawl with just some scratches, but her knee mustn’t have liked the swift turns she did to wreak havoc in the Campbell pack. It didn’t matter, anyway, because right now she was sitting and battling with the damn, fucking thing and… and somehow, suddenly, miraculously, it worked. Charlie stood up to do a victory dance, followed by Ash in an electric combination of hairography and silly jumps, while all the phones started to chirp like a mad flock of birds. Once their dance ended Charlie checked her phone, where there were only one hundred notifications, more or less. She gave Ash instructions to go to Missouri's to assure the refugees they could call their loved ones, then she joined Bobby and his task force to give them the good news. She tried to call Gabriel, but the line was occupied, of course. 

Bobby seemed to be pleased and relieved by the news -as much as she had ever seen a relieved expression on her Alpha's face-, but his frown was back in full force when she told him that she had still no news from any of the Novak or the Coven. No news could mean good news but Bobby didn’t seem to believe that. He turned towards Jody and Rufus, already making contingency plans for several possible outcomes, and Charlie, feeling like her contribution wasn’t needed nor wanted, took a moment to eat something and make herself a coffee. 

She was halfway through a sandwich with random things in it that she didn’t even want to think about when her phone rang.

“Red, what the fuck.”

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘thank you’, Gabe,” she chirped, a lot happier than ten minutes before and quite relieved to hear the Beta’s voice.

“Fuck you, Charlie, Lucifer took Novak this morning and the only thing I know about Michael is that he's alive,” he growled, clearly not in the mood for some harmless humor. Charlie’s breath caught in her throat, along with a piece of bread, and she had to cough for three minutes before she was able to speak again. 

“What?” she asked faintly.

“I have Anna and the kids, are you lot ok?”

“Mostly,” she answered, now trembling thinking about the wolf upstairs that she had left unconscious in bed, under the frightened vigil of his mate. She decided right there that she wasn’t going to be the one to tell Gabriel that his precious little brother was injured. He was a Beta, sure, but he could be scary all the same. 

“Ok, we’ll be there in two or three hours. See ya,” said Gabriel, ending the call immediately. 

Charlie left her half sandwich on the counter, praying silently to have the time to come back to it before Ellen decided to throw a fit about it, and went up the stairs two by two, stopping at the door to watch the scene in front of her: Cas was unconscious on the bed -or sleeping, her positive-driven brain supplied- still in wolf form, with Dean petting him softly and Sam talking quietly to his brother. It would’ve been cute if the situation hadn’t been so bad. Deciding to leave them be for a little while longer, she went down to tell Bobby the news; Bobby just nodded and poured himself and his companions a hefty dose of bourbon. 

\---

Dean felt his phone vibrate but ignored it. He didn’t have the mental energy to care about anything other than the sleeping wolf in front of him. He could sense Sam talking but couldn’t make sense of what he was saying, letting his brother’s voice wash over him and soothe some of his anxiety. He came back to the present only when Bobby appeared, standing just near the door with his arms crossed, and what Dean suspected was his second or third glass of whiskey in hand. 

“How is he?”

“He awoke for a bit an hour or so ago. He’s sleeping now,” he answered, prying his eyes from his mate to look at his father. Bobby nodded, his face the kind of serious that spelled trouble. 

“Novak was taken this morning. Gabriel is coming here with Anna and the kids. Michael was at Sandover where they tried to take him out too, but he managed the situation, and he’s headed here now.”

Dean nodded, having nothing better to offer Bobby. Gods, this was going to be a fucking shitshow. He couldn’t even process the events Bobby was talking about, his brain fixated on the fact that his brothers-in-law were coming to find their little brother fucking injured because of him.

Dean wasn’t stupid: he knew Cas had been wounded attempting to divert the attention from his fight to Campbell. It had been a smart move, one he would have done himself, but it didn’t erase the overwhelming guilt he felt seeing the bandages around the lithe waist of his mate. No way the Novak brothers were going to let it pass, and they shouldn’t anyway. It wasn’t retaliation that Dean feared, he didn't think Michael would go that far, but the disappointment was going to be more than enough. His mood soured even more and he didn’t say anything when Sam left the room with Bobby to replace him as his second, a position he wasn’t able to fulfill and probably didn’t even deserve. He remained next to the bed, his thoughts spiraling in a pit of guilt and self-hatred, the voice inside his head speaking weirdly with the voice of John Winchester. 

\---

Bobby was too old for this shit. The first moment he had to himself all day happened because, luckily, nobody tried to follow him to the toilet to talk to him about something or the other. His head was pounding, and he fetched an aspirin from the cabinet that he swallowed dry. 

He had sent Ellen and Jo to Dean and Castiel’s cabin, to make it suitable for the Novaks. His son and his mate were going to stay at the packhouse anyway: Castiel was not to be moved yet, and Bobby didn’t want to have any of his family farther away than a few feet from him, his protective instincts still in overdrive from the fight.

He knew he needed to wait for Michael and Gabriel before he started to make plans, but waiting had never been his strong suit, so he soon had thirty plans in his head and at least three in motion. 

The first thing was to secure his pack, so Rufus and Jody were organized guard shifts. Everybody was tired, but nobody wanted a repeat of the experience that afternoon, so everyone was eager to help, even the new additions from Campbell. Benny was proving himself quite valuable managing his little group of renegades, and keeping calm despite the anxiety around the fate of his pregnant mate - a feat not a lot of Alphas would've been capable of. It was a trait Bobby admired and one that reinforced his decision to claim Benny in the Singer's pack.

Bobby breathed, allowing himself to feel his exhaustion for a moment before resuming his duties. The fight had been quick but hard and, really, he was too old for this shit: his knees were killing him and he could feel a sharp pain in a shoulder that he thought he had forgotten some years before. 

He was worried about Cas, even if Linda had reassured everyone that the wound was not so deep after all -no organs were touched, and his wolf healing was already doing all the work- still, Bobby was worried about the kid. Worried and proud, too. Cas had been very clever and brave, giving Dean the time and space to focus on his fight instead of all the enemies that were looking for a weakness. 

Bobby knew his kid, and was sure Dean wasn’t coping well after the events of the day, but he had too much to do to check on him at the moment. He also knew Dean wasn’t going to listen to kind words and reassurances, now; he needed action, atonement for his perceived failures, and maybe a cuff on the head. Bobby was waiting on Michael for that, too. 

He composed himself once again and got out of the bathroom.

#    
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the thick of it and I caught up with the part I already wrote! Please send encouragements so I can find the focus to keep going.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, liking and commenting. I hope you liked this chapter, and still so much ahead!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I killed Naomi Heavenson today,” Michael said, sounding as if the simple fact of talking was hurting him.
> 
> “Good. Dean killed Christian Campbell,” Bobby responded. Michael, who was taking a sip from his beer, sputtered. 
> 
> “He did what?!”

People scurried in front of him and Michael, who had always believed himself to be a fairly cool Alpha, _rejoiced_ in it. He smelt fear as he went from Naomi’s office to his own, overwhelming just as much as the coppery scent of blood that still invaded his nose and, in the depth of his most basic brain, his Alpha was preening at the proofs of his dominance. He embraced it instead of trying to reign it in. 

Once in his office, he went to clean his business, lips still faintly red and a snarl fixed on his face. Since his phones weren’t working he sent his secretary to call all the employees that had dabbled in Naomi’s little scheme and fired them. He had no mercy, no compassion. There wasn’t a place for traitors on his side and it didn’t matter if they did it for the money, the prestige in their clan, or just because they liked to place losing bets; they all had to go. 

There were some from the Heavenson pack, of course: Bartholomew managed to leave without his throat ripped out, but it was a close call; Zachariah, one of the heads of the legal department; Malachi, Naomi’s personal assistant. Raphaelle stayed at his side while he fired half of her pack and leaned in only in Uriel’s favor. Michael allowed it, but it was clear for both of them that he was going to keep a close eye on him and the few others that stayed because no proof of their implication could be found. Yet.

When the betrayal came from his pack it was harder to stomach. Ishim, one of the big guys in Acquisitions, tried to play his pack membership to gain a second occasion: he won a ban from the pack on top of his firing. The list was long, from the top to the bottom; Raphaelle would have her work cut out for her when she started to hire for a very newly freed position. The last one to be let go was his own secretary and Michael was happy to finally be free of the scent of fear that emanated from her, even if she was a Beta: it had polluted his office all day and he just wanted it gone. 

Hours later, when all the organization was cared for and Michael was tired, sweaty, and still shaking from the adrenaline that had nowhere to exhaust itself, the phones finally came back online. 

\---

Gabriel was not a slave to hormones. As a Beta, he had the chance to be even-tempered in almost all situations, which gave him a fair advantage on the other designations if he may say so himself. But. As he drove towards the motel -he had told Anna they would regroup- it took all his will to not turn the car and just go to confront Lucifer. He held on to the thoughts of Anna and the kids, of Castiel, of Michael, and of the certainty of death to keep going. 

His car burned through the speed limits on the highway and he spared a second to think of how fucking lucky he was because no police patrol had stopped him. Fucking lucky. Nothing about that day so far seemed to factor luck, except everything about it did. He was lucky Anna woke him up. He was lucky that Max had found him before his brother. He was lucky to escape. He was lucky and felt miserable, felt like a coward for abandoning his pack, his friends, to the hands of a psychopath that should have been put down years ago. Never as in that moment Gabriel cursed Michael’s magnanimity towards Lucifer a decade prior.

When he reached the motel he felt the first tinge of relief mellow his anxiety: Anna, Sam, and Amiel were fine, huddled on the bed, watching cartoons in silence. His sister-in-law cried on his shoulder for a moment that seemed too long for comfort and too short for the situation, then put herself together as she always did. Without any means to contact Michael or Cassie, they spent the day locked up in the room, old episodes of Scooby Doo on the screen, and a shit-ton of fries and candies to pass the time. Even the sweets did not make the wait easier for Gabriel. 

The silence was the hardest thing. Anna was trying so hard to be strong for her kids she had no residual energy for talking to him and he couldn’t even muster the will to crack a joke to make Sam laugh. It made him feel unsettled, but it was par for the course. 

It was already dark outside and Amiel was sleeping soundly while Samandriel was still watching cartoons with bloodshot eyes when finally, _finally_ , his phone rang. 

“Michael, gods’ mercy, you’re alive,” he breathed, and the scent of relieved Omega coming from Anna was so strong even his Beta nose caught on it.

“Gabe, Anna?” Michael sounded tired and out of breath, as if he was running, which was a possibility.

“She’s good, we’re at the Elysian fields. The kids are fine. Pack, on the other hand…” Gabriel cringed, but Michael interrupted him.

“Call Singer. I’m going to him now, I’ll see you there. We need to be smart, Gabe, you have no idea of the clusterfuck that this day has been.’ As soon as he finished his sentence Michael hung up, leaving Gabriel and Anna equally bewildered. Orders had been given, though, so five minutes later two cars were driving towards Bobby’s home, Gabriel calling Charlie only after they left. 

\---

Michael was the first to arrive, surprising Bobby who thought the frantic pounding on his front door indicated Gabriel instead. The Alpha on the other side of the door looked nothing like the confident, calm man Bobby had seen at Yule: Michael was haggard, his tie askew, faint traces of blood on his collar, his hair in such disarray it looked like Cas’, his blue eyes bloodshot. They clasped their forearms briefly and Bobby ushered him inside, towards the kitchen where Ellen was keeping a chicken pot pie warm for them. Michael sat heavily on a chair and managed a small smile in Ellen’s direction before he devoured his meal in silence. Respecting the quiet, Bobby went to retrieve some beers from the fridge and offered one to his mate and one to his guest, who’s thanks were clear in his eyes if too hard on his tongue. Bobby could hear the rest of his family putter around the house, voices from the living room and steps on the stairs, but offered himself and Michael the small reprieve before what was going to be a long night. 

Once Michael had finished his meal and his beer he sighed, and Bobby took it as a clue to sit in front of him.

“So.”

“So.”

Both Alphas nodded and Bobby opened two more beers. There was no way they were going to do any of that without weres’ helper. 

“I killed Naomi Heavenson today,” Michael said, sounding as if the simple fact of talking was hurting him.

“Good. Dean killed Christian Campbell,” Bobby responded. Michael, who was taking a sip from his beer, sputtered. 

“He did what?”

Bobby sighed. “We were attacked this morning. Fifty wolves out of the woods. Twelve of them turned on their pack, or we wouldn’t be talking about it. Dean killed Christian. Castiel was inju…” Bobby reacted fast, faster than he knew his age normally allowed and put a forceful hand on Michael’s shoulder to prevent him from knocking the table over in his haste to stand. “Listen to me,” he said, “listen, Michael.” Michael’s eyes were blazing from badly controlled rage, a state in which he probably was since the morning. He took a breath nonetheless and sat again. 

“Talk.”

Bobby tried not to bristle at the tone of the word, even if he wanted to remind Michael who was the older Alpha there. That wasn’t the time for it. 

“Cas was smart and quick. Christian was planning on faking a one-on-one combat with Dean and ambushing him with ten or so other wolves, and Cas distracted them to give Dean a chance. He was wounded on the side, but he’s ok. Still in wolf form for the night, but ok. Tomorrow he’ll be fine.”

Michael stood unmoving for a long moment, processing, then nodded once. 

“Can I see him?”

“Sure,” Bobby conceded, “Ellen will show you their room. I’ll stay here waiting for your brother and your mate, then we’ll set you up in Dean and Cas’ cabin for the night, or what remains of it anyway.”

Michael just nodded, stood, and followed a silent Ellen up the stairs. 

\---

The picture would have been cute, in other circumstances. Dean was lying on a single bed, entirely dressed, curled around the form of Castiel’s black wolf; they were both breathing softly, Dean’s hands snuck in the fur of Castiel’s neck. Michael watched the scene from the door, trying to focus more on the easy breathing of his little brother instead of the bandages circling his waist. It was hard. He left silently, unwilling to disturb the couple, and went downstairs. 

As he put his foot on the floor, a pounding resonated from the door, frantic but with a rhythm Michael knew well. Gabriel was there. Michael went towards the door, letting Bobby pass before him and open the door. Before his eyes could confirm who was at the door he was tackled by a little body and the sweet smell of his son. He curled around Samandriel, scenting him, hugging him tightly, and felt the first hint of released tension; they were here, they were safe, they were really alive. All day the worry about his mate and kids had burned deep in his brain, buried enough to focus on the task at hand but present anyway. As he stood, keeping Sam tight to his side, he could see the tired face of his brother, deprived of all the joy and mischief that were usually so _Gabriel_ , and the beautiful one of his mate who had Amiel asleep in her arms. In silence still, he hugged Gabriel tight, patting him on the back, then went to scent Anna and Amiel. Anna’s scent was a little acrid, fear, and anger, but they were unharmed and the happiness exuding from Anna’s scent was drowning his bad feelings very fast. It was Bobby who talked first. 

“Let’s go. I’ll show you the cabin and we can talk there once the kids are in bed.”

Michael nodded and, his hand safely intertwined with Anna’s, followed the Singer Alpha. 

\---

“I’m going to kill all of them, all of them!”

“Shut up, Gabriel,” replied Michael, tiredly. Gabriel didn’t want to shut up. He wanted a bloodbath. A massacre. He wanted to feast on the blood of the people who had hurt Cassie, hunt them down one by one and make them suffer. Gabriel might have been a little bit overreacting, but he was entitled. Maybe. Or maybe the fucking day was just crashing over him and he needed an outlet for the helplessness he still felt. 

He sat down again, at the table with Bobby and Michael. Bobby had just finished recounting the fight and the fact that Cassie was wounded, and why hadn’t Charlie mentioned that, for fuck sake? Gabriel would have... done nothing, because there was nothing to be done. He finished his plate of chicken pot pie and took a sip of his beer, as Michael started to talk about his day at Sandover. Gods, what a clusterfuck. He had to give it to Lucifer: he was a fine planner. In a single day, he had moved his pawns in three different directions and if he had had just a little more help, he could have won everything in less than twenty-four hours. The thought of it made Gabriel shudder.

The three men and Anna sat in silent contemplation once the day’s events were recounted. Gabriel could _feel_ Bobby and Michael thinking; he had spent the day imagining countless scenarios to take back the pack, and he had hoped to have more ideas after hearing about what had happened at Sandover and Singer’s, but he had nothing. No one from the pack had tried to contact him or Michael, so they didn’t know if they were still asleep, if Lucifer had cut the phone lines, or if they just didn’t care. It was unsettling. Gabriel fidgeted with his beer bottle, waiting for someone to break the silence, it didn’t matter how. In the end, it was Michael who spoke.

“Bobby, go get some rest. It’s very late and there’s nothing to be done right now. We’re all exhausted and maybe we’ll see things clearer tomorrow.”

Bobby agreed with a grunt and stood, touching his cap in farewell before leaving. Michael and Anna retreated to Cassie and Dean’s room, and Gabriel made himself a bed on the couch for the second time in a month, but with a completely different weight on his chest.

\---

When Castiel opened his eyes it was still dark, which meant nothing at the end of December. Maybe it was four am, maybe six, he had no way to know. He felt better than the day before, his head not so heavy on painkillers, the wound on his flank reduced to a dull ache and the tightness of the bandage was more bothersome than the pain itself. He could feel a warm weight at his back and he leaned into it a little more, breathing in the calming scent of his mate. 

He felt good enough to try and shift. He knew the reasonable thing to do was to wait for the doctor’s orders, but he didn’t know if he had the patience for that. He tried to shuffle a bit to free himself from Dean’s embrace, feeling the weight in his bladder becoming more urgent by the minute. Dean, of course, tightened his embrace instead of releasing him, and Castiel whimpered in response, a bit because he really, really needed to pee, and a bit because Dean’s arm was leaning on his still tender wound. Dean bolted upright at the sound, working himself immediately into a panic.

“Gods, Cas, are you ok? Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry babe..”

Castiel didn’t even listen to him, getting out of the bed and scratching at the door in seconds. It hurt a bit to walk, but most of his attention was focused on not peeing on the floor, while Dean was still struggling with waking up and trying to understand his mate who couldn’t talk at the moment. Since he wasn’t moving, Castiel turned and growled at him softly, trying to convey his urgency. Something must have reached his mate's sleep-addled brain because Dean _finally_ decided to move and open the room’s door, then followed him while he was going down the stairs slowly to not jolt anything in his body. He whined again in front of the front door, and Dean opened that too. 

It was freezing outside. Castiel did his business quickly but far enough from the house to not upset anyone and came back trotting. Dean opened the door in front of him and ushered him inside, directing their steps toward the kitchen. The clock in the hallway indicated six-thirty, which was good enough in both of their books to have breakfast. 

Castiel wanted to shift. He wanted coffee and eggs and bacon. He wanted to move on two legs and kiss Dean. He wanted to talk. He settled for the ground meat Dean put on a plate for him, and a bowl of water, grumbling internally at the smell of coffee when it invaded the kitchen. Dean worked in silence, preparing breakfast for his family, stopping every so often to pet him, hug him or whisper reassurances in his ear, mostly, Castiel suspected, for his own benefit. 

Half an hour later, Ellen came down. She pressed a light kiss on Dean’s cheek, then crouched to pet Castiel.

“So, handsome, are you better?”

Castiel made a sound that he hoped would sound affirmative, but Ellen was already tugging at the bandage to uncover the injury. 

“Well, would you look at that! Almost good as new, aren't you?” she cooed, stroking the newly freed fur around the wound. Castiel yelped softly and looked at her trying to convey his need to shift. Or at least trying to manage the best puppy eyes he knew, whatever would work. Ellen laughed.

“Yeah, I bet you want to shift, don’t you?” Castiel yelped again in response. Ellen laughed and stood. “Well, I think you could, but it’s best to wait for Linda. Wouldn’t want to let you do something dangerous and then having to explain it to Michael and Gabriel when they come over in a bit.”

What? 

“What?” asked Dean in his stead, proposing a big cup of coffee to Ellen. “They’re here?”

Ellen nodded. “Yes, they arrived last night, you were both asleep. Yesterday’s been a shitshow all over the place, but Bobby’ll explain better later. They’re sleeping at yours right now.”

Dean nodded, a frown on his beautiful face, and Castiel wished to have a face that could make a frown too. He was curious and frightened; Michael and Gabriel at Singer’s pack meant something had gone very, very wrong at Novak’s. Forced in wolf form for who knew how long still, unable to do anything to help, unable even to just ask questions, Castiel could feel himself grow restless, surrounded by the sour scent of fear coming from Dean that he didn’t understand. 

As the rest of the family trickled down for breakfast, Castiel paced in the kitchen and the living room, trying to make sense of all the smells that crowded the place and could give him hints about what had happened the day before. Sam crouched down next to him to say hello, checking on his wound too and confirming it was looking good. Bobby didn’t utter a word until after his second cup of coffee and, even then, it was little more than a grunt. The Singer Alpha looked tired, black circles beneath his eyes, and he looked ten years older than the day before, not that Castiel would ever tell him that. When Dean tried to ask questions about what happened during the night Bobby glared quite magistrally at his adopted son and Dean relented immediately, if just temporarily. 

It was an hour still before Linda knocked at the door and freed Castiel from his furry figure, allowing him to stand again on his two legs.

\---

Dean felt like he could breathe again when the black fur gave space to skin and unkempt hair. 

“Hello, Dean,” Cas said as soon as he was on two legs and Dean, forgetting his mate was naked and of Linda’s presence in the room, caught Cas’ face between his hands and leaned in for a desperate kiss, teeth and tongues and the smell of salt in the air. 

“It’s ok, we’re ok, Dean, breathe…”

Dean breathed slowly, his nose buried in the line of his mate’s neck, the scent of summer and rain and home calming him down until Linda Tran cleared her throat.

“Well, boys, I’m going to leave you to it. No strenuous activities for a couple of days, Castiel, and you should be fine. I’m leaving some painkillers here in case you don’t follow my instructions, which I know you won’t.”

Dean separated from Cas, just enough to spare a glance towards the doctor, and saw Cas shrug a little, a fake innocent expression on his face. Dean snorted and Linda rolled her eyes before exiting the room. 

Cas retrieved a pair of boxers from the pile of clothes Sam had taken back from the garage the day before and put them on, much to Dean’s displeasure. The glare Cas sent him at his slight growl, however, stopped him immediately. He held his hands in a placating gesture:

“Yeah, yeah, not the time, but you can’t really blame me for admiring you without your fur,” he blinked, and Cas laughed. The Omega finished quickly to dress.

“So, what’s the program?” Cas asked.

“You know as much as me. I know your brothers are here, that will be fun…” Dean answered, his unease returning tenfold. It must have shown in his scent despite his effort to school his expression, because Cas came closer, leaning a hand on his arm.

“What’s the matter, Dean?”

“You got wounded, Cas,” he replied, totally not whining. 

“Yeah, I know. I’m fine now, but it’s the kind of thing that can happen in a brawl between what, eighty wolves?” Cas shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal, as if Dean hadn’t spent the last twelve or so hours feeling terrified, guilty, and terrible.

“Damn it, Cas, I was supposed to keep you safe!!” Dean exploded, taking a step back and burying his hands in his hair, as much as possible anyway. He tugged on it, the sting in his scalp helping him to not lose it. “You got wounded in an affair that was born because of me, in a war against me, and instead of staying by your side and protecting you, I was stalking around fucking Christian Campbell!!”

Cas was scowling, his arms folded over his chest. He didn’t look happy at all with Dean’s assessment of the situation.

“You done?” he asked when Dean was, in fact, done. Dean nodded, taking his hands out of his hair and sitting on the bed, feeling defeated. He had been bottling his anxieties all night, letting them stew and rise, trying to keep it together in front of Cas’ injury, but couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed now. 

“First of all, none of this is your fault. Not Christian’s paranoia, not their attack, and not even my injury. Did you think I went out there not knowing what each of us was risking?” Cas asked, his voice still low but with an edge of steel. Dean shook his head, his eyes firmly on the ground in the middle of his feet. “Did you think I was a weak damsel in distress, Dean, that I should have been in the panic room with the pregnant Omegas and the kids and the elders?” Dean shook his head again, a warm sensation of embarrassment rising on his cheeks. Cas’ voice started to rise “Did you think I was going to let ten wolves attack you as soon as you were distracted, as was Campbell's plan, Dean? Did you think I was just going to stand there and watch you _die_?”

“But you could have died, Cas, and I did nothing!” he shouted, lifting his eyes again and meeting Cas’, the blue of his irises stormy like a tempest in the middle of the sea, grey big clouds obscuring the usual light in them. His scent was spiking too, the sharp edge of anger overtaking the usual sweetness of peaches. 

“You did what you had to do. You fought Christian and won. I did what the rest of the pack was doing: protecting you so you had a chance at doing what you did,” Cas said, in a tone Dean knew brooked no argument. Dean wanted to argue anyway, but as soon as he opened his mouth Cas started again: “You don’t have to protect me, Dean, not any more than you protect anyone else. I’m not a frail Omega who’s going to break at the first puff of wind and I will be very pissed if I find out you’ve been thinking about me that way.” 

He looked very pissed indeed. In a distant part of his mind Dean thought it was a good look on him.

“We are a team, Dean. Sometimes I’m going to be your backup, sometimes you’ll be.”

Dean nodded, dumbly, before adding in a soft voice: “Well, we’ll see how Michael and Gabe feel about that, won’t we?”

Cas’ expression morphed into one of surprise and incredulity. 

“That’s what you’re worried about? My _brothers_?”

“Well, of course, Cas! Do you really think they won’t be ripping me a new asshole for letting you in harm’s way?” Dean shouted, mirroring Cas’ disbelief.

Cas, the asshole, laughed. He laughed hard enough to need to stop, a hand coming to hold his side where the wound was probably still a bit tender.

“Stop laughing, you idiot, you’re hurting yourself!” he said standing up and going to check on his mate, who was trying to reign in his bout of hilarity, probably helped in the process by the pain. Cas leaned his head on Dean’s shoulder and slowly his breathing came back under control. 

“Ah, love, I don’t think you risk anything from my brothers, but you’ll see. Come, it’s time to go downstairs and face the music.”

Dean tried, really tried, to feel reassured by Cas’ words. He failed but followed him down the stairs anyway.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments!! I thought being on vacation would have meant more writing time but it definitely did not. I'm working on chapter 18 at the moment and hope to have it ready next week for you!
> 
> Thank you for reading and for your feedbacks that keep me going <3


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